Marshmallow | Nougat | Faint corn syrup | Light oak | Vanilla powder | Brown butter | Touch of brown sugar | Sweet scents dominate

Light leather & oak | Cinnamon apples | Pie crust | Brown sugar | White peppercorn | Light corn syrup | Nougat

White peppercorn | Light oak | Dominant corn syrup | Short

Hooten Young was founded by former Special Operations Soldier, Master Sgt. Norm Hooten and Tim Young. If you’ve seen the movie Black Hawk Down, then you may remember Hooten as Eric Bana’s character. The duo created Hooten & Young Wine and Spirits as a tribute to “brave men and women of the armed forces who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.” For this limited release whiskey, the company states that they “partnered with former Navy SEAL, New York Times Best Selling Author, and outdoorsman, Jack Carr. Author of The Terminal List — book series turned Amazon Prime original series — Jack Carr became our right-hand support in co-creating this special 16yr reserve.”

The whiskey opens with a variety of sweet scents that play off each other nicely. Transitioning to the midpoint brings notes of light leather and oak before opening up to pie-like flavors of cinnamon apples, pie crust, and brown sugar. Light corn syrup and white peppercorn add dashes of sweet and spice to the mix. The finish is the weakest part of the sip, producing a flash of white peppercorn and oak before a quick burst of dominant corn syrup takes over. This sweeter note rides a wave of heat before ending the ride. The finish may be lacking, and the price too high for what it is, but overall, this is a nicely aged 99% corn whiskey that fans of this mashbill and fans of light whiskey would enjoy.