Vanilla wafer | Ripe pear | Faint marshmallow | Toasted oak | Apple sauce | Nougat | Light

Vanilla | Rye spice | Cinnamon stick | Canned pear | Charred oak | Black peppercorn spice | Brown sugar 

Vanilla | Rye spice | Peppercorn mix | Oak | Light leather | Light lingering spice

Established in 2020, World Whiskey Society is a non-distiller producer that sources whiskeys from all over the world. Marketing themselves as a “Limited Release Company,” they produce a wide range of unique whiskeys bottled in eye-catching packaging. They group their products under collections, with their 12 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Pear Brandy Casks (Edition #14) part of The Reserve Collection, which features similar style Gargoyle bottles (among others) and a variety of finishes. This particular bottle was released as part of the company’s quarterly Society Subscription. 

Pear brandy finished bourbons are rare. While Barrell Craft Spirits previously released Armida, which utilizes pear brandy casks in its finishing process, regular releases are rare. More commonly used for private single barrel releases from the likes of Barrell Bourbon and Starlight Distillery, it’s a finish that most consumers have not been exposed to. 

Resting a rye-based bourbon in pear brandy casks results in exactly what one might expect: a mix of spice and sweetness that varies throughout the sip. For being over 104 proof, the bourbon delivers lighter-than-expected scents with the resulting aroma mostly focused on sweetness. Its midpoint pulls in juicy canned pears along with vanilla and brown sugar, all of which get heavy push back from a mix of noticeable spiced notes. The finish quickly transitions to spice and classic dry notes before fading out on just a lingering spice note. It’s a nice sip that accentuates its core attributes; however, the spice can come off as off-balanced in the midpoint and overpowers the pear brandy influence. 

The bourbon in review is bottle number 083 of 356.