Onyx & Amber 12-yr is Back

Onyx & Amber continues to be one of the hottest newer brands on the site, and with good reason. They specialize in high-aged, cask-strength bourbon—often from MGP—that’s matured further in Colorado’s high-altitude climate. Each release is hand-selected for depth, complexity, and character, and this one’s no exception.
 
One bottle I loved years ago was a low-proof, cask-strength single barrel from Smooth Ambler. I should’ve grabbed every bottle I could before the hype caught up to it. In today’s whiskey world, high-proof and hazmat releases reign supreme, but I’ve always loved a cask-strength release at a more approachable proof point.
 
While there’s no shortage of Indiana bourbons to try for Seelbach’s, there are always a few that stand out, and that’s been the case with every barrel we’ve tried from Onyx & Amber. Last release we finally made it to the Main list with our 10-yr Canton barrel, but we're back with another low yield barrel from the same run of 12-yrs that we first fell in love with. 

A familiar nose for this Onyx & Amber profile: sweeter notes of brown sugar, caramel sauce, sweet leather, and pipe tobacco lead, this time with a touch of honey and an almost gummy bear–like playfulness to the sweetness.

The palate is just delightful. Lots of mature oak and flat cola, alongside a long-lasting torched orange peel note that meets milk chocolate brownies and tropical fruit cocktail. While not the most complex pour, there are still layers to discover as you sit with it, and they are tasty.

The finish is a mix of vanilla and fudge brownies, with that boozy flat cola profile continuing long. There’s also a hint of mint to keep it interesting, plus a gentle nip that reads more as structure than tea-like or oaky tannins.