Lucky Seven 9 Years Aged - the Hold Up

Lucky Seven's "The Hold Up" is a bourbon carrying a nine-year age statement. That puts it well past the entry-level stretch for the category, and it affects how it's best used. The label doesn't give a proof, mash bill or barrel details, so what follows is what bourbon of this age typically does, not a measured profile of this bottle. Expect the corn-driven sweetness of the style (caramel, vanilla, brown sugar) with the oak showing more clearly than it does in younger pours: toasted wood, a touch of char, and baking spice such as cinnamon or clove. Years in the barrel also tend to bring dried fruit, leather or tobacco-leaf notes, and a drier, longer finish. For straight sipping, pour it neat first, with a small measure at room temperature. That shows the oak and spice layers most clearly. If the first sip feels hot or tight, add a few drops of room-temperature water. Water loosens the aromatics and often brings out more vanilla and fruit without flattening the structure. A single large cube on the rocks suits slow sipping or warm weather. It mutes some of the finer aromatics as it chills, but it softens the heat and slows dilution compared with small ice. A Glencairn is the glass to use for nosing it, since the tapered rim concentrates the oak and caramel notes. A heavy-bottomed rocks glass is the better choice if you're adding ice. In cocktails, the age and oak give it enough backbone to hold up in spirit-forward drinks. An Old Fashioned is the clearest fit: a sugar cube or a teaspoon of rich syrup, two or three dashes of Angostura, and an orange peel expressed over the top let the barrel character come through. A Manhattan made with sweet vermouth and a cherry works the same way, because bourbon's sweetness suits the vermouth. In a Whiskey Sour, the oak adds depth against lemon juice, and an egg white gives it a softer texture. A tall highball with cold soda water and a lemon peel is a lighter option that keeps the aroma, but a bottle with this much age may be better saved for the stirred drinks and for sipping.