Ample spice | Marshmallow | Hint of cotton candy | Cream soda | Full

Rye spice | Caramel | Cigar box | Seasoned oak | French toast | Rich

Baking spices | Tobacco | Caramel | Balanced sweet-spicy mix

The name Doc Holliday pays homage to John Henry Holliday, an American gambler, gunfighter, and surprisingly also a dentist - hence the reason he earned the nickname “Doc.” Holliday is best known for his role as a temporary policeman in the 1881 gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, which is regarded as the most famous shootout in the history of the American Old West. In the spirit of WWS’s unique bottle designs, the bottle stopper is a solid metal replica of the cylinder of a loaded six-shooter revolver, the label resembles an old-timey document, and it's adorned with a 3 dimensional metallic skull of a steer.

Doc Holliday is one of the World Whiskey Society’s collections, and this 7 year old release joins the other Doc Holliday bourbons under the brand that are sourced from a variety of distilleries and aged from 6 to 10 years old. This particular barrel is sourced from Indiana (presumably MGP based on the mashbill though that is unconfirmed), and shares similar technical details with the exception of its age compared to a Doc Holliday 6 Year Single Barrel Bourbon from October, 2023. It’s derived from a different distillery source than the 8 year old bottle from January, 2023 that initially drew me into the brand.

It’s quite different from both of the aforementioned bottles, confirming that World Whiskey Society is searching for unique barrels as opposed to consistency for their Doc Holliday brand. Surprising but enjoyable aromas of cotton candy and cream soda on the nose highlight the bourbon’s most unique traits, though French toast on the palate and some light tobacco on the finish adds additional intrigue. They’re complemented by more traditional flavors of caramel, rye spice, baking spices, and seasoned oak which maintain a solid base. It’s not as unique as the 8 year bottle I reviewed that was sourced from the now defunct Ivy Mountain Distillery, but it’s a fun whiskey nevertheless.

The bottle in review comes from barrel #112 and is bottle 17 of 211.