Light fruit | Allspice | Caramel | Chamomile tea | Vanilla bean

Caramel | Brown sugar | Vanilla | Light barrel char | Seasoned oak | Leans more savory than sweet

Allspice | Baking spices | Light oak | Caramel | Medium length

“The Hold Up” is one of Lucky Seven’s ongoing small batch bourbon releases. Batches vary in age, and there is little disclosed about their blend components, with a focus instead on the final product and age.

I enjoyed Batch 01, which clocked in at 12 years old and kicked off The Hold Up series in early 2020. Batch 08 comes in at the same proof, but with a lower 9 year age statement. It’s straight Kentucky bourbon and drinks like a quintessential 9 year old Kentucky bourbon through and through. That’s not to say Kentucky bourbons don’t vary, because of course they do, but this batch of “The Hold Up” leans into the combination of caramel, vanilla, oak, and spice that serves as a backbone for many Kentucky bourbons and is probably most akin to the 100 proof version of Knob Creek 9 Year. Overall it’s a bourbon that is nearly impossible to dislike, but doesn’t offer much in the way of a uniquely defining characteristic either.