Bottled in 2016, The Gifted Horse is one of the rare vintages of Diageo's Orphan Barrel Series, a series of bottles coming from barrels of bourbon discovered from abandoned or forgotten rickhouses and distilleries. The Gifted Horse American Whiskey is a bold, outspoken whiskey one shouldn’t look in the mouth. Always racing straight to the punch, we only ask that you politely accept The Gifted Horse for what it is–it's own unique offering. Some time ago at the historic Stitzel-Weller Distillery, the unthinkable happened. A batch of beautiful 17-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon was accidentally mixed with barrels of much younger whiskey. This error turned out better than expected, as the older bourbon wasn’t marred but transformed into something surprisingly special. Beginning with a nose hinting at apple skin, almond, toffee, raisins, and slight milk chocolate, The Gifted Horse has unique tastes of creamy caramel, Bosc pear, and fruit cake. This unusual blend’s fruity notes become more apparent with a splash of water.