Larceny Barrel Proof A125 Review
This is the 16th batch of Larceny Barrel Proof, which made it’s debut appearance in January 2020. At $65 it continues to be one of the most competitively priced barrel proof bourbons out there. They tend to range between being enjoyable to very enjoyable, but not epic, which again, meets the price point and availability of this bottle. Even though this has a release date of January 2025, it did not show up in Washington state until July. Let’s dive in and see how this Larceny Barrel Proof A125 review shakes out!
Series: Larceny Barrel Proof – released 3 times per year
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Age: 6 – 8 years
Proof: 125
Batch Designation: Small Batch
Proof Designation: Barrel Proof
Filtered Status: Non-Chill Filtered
Mash bill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat, 12% Malted Barley
Still Type: Column Still
Barrel Char Level: 3
Barrel Entry Proof: 125
Distillate Source: Old Fitzgerald
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Company: Heaven Hill
Bottled By: Old Fitzgerald Distillery
Distilled/Aging Location: Bardstown, Kentucky
Master Distiller: Conor O’Driscoll
Release Date: January 2025
MSRP: $65
Secondary Market: $80
Availability: Some Hunting
Larceny Barrel Proof A125 Review
7/31/2025
My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.
For this tasting: Fresh crack, Glencairn Glass, Neat, Room Temp, Breathe: 5 minutes.
Legs
Beads formed on the crown at 5 seconds, the legs began to form at about 13 seconds, and the first legs dropped to the bowl at about 49 seconds.
Nose
Light caramel, grape, honey, a hint of toasted peanuts.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: A lot of typical Heaven Hill notes…honey, brown sugar. It has a nice wheatiness to it. Honey roasted peanut, lots of vanilla. It’s pretty sweet.
Breaking Bourbon: Cinnamon | Allspice | Walnut | Toasted oak
Bourbon Banter: Big aroma of Red Hots and candy apple. As it opens, things turn to well-baked apple turnover, a bit buttery with lots of dark, caramelized sugar.
Palate
Toffee, brown sugar, vanilla, cloves, cinnamon, a dark slightly bitter molasses note, caramel apple, sweet oak, mild barrel char, brandied fig, mild leather. The taste is nicely balanced with a savory-sweet and spice profile.
On the second day of the opened bottle, I get some toasted peanut. But I searched for it and couldn’t find it on day one.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: It has a vanilla punch, the nuttiness is still there, toffy. The brown sugar is really great too. It does have a nice spice. It also has a little sweet tea vibe. A bright strawberry note on the mid palate. This is pretty nice. It’s not super complex, but good. I still think that B523 C923 are the GOATS.
Breaking Bourbon: Pretzel dough | Clove | Cinnamon stick | Burnt brown sugar | Honey | Walnut | Heat on the backend
Bourbon Banter: The palate is bold but still approachable. It showcases perhaps a bit more grain initially than some other release with an almost doughy, pie crust quality that sweetens quickly into the mid-palate with lots of gooey caramel, pecan praline, and gentle, warming spice. It’s not syrupy, despite all of the intense, candied flavor, with plenty of dry oak and barrel char balancing the sweetness and even elevating some of that biscuity, buttery grain quality.
Finish
Medium-long finish with caramel, brown sugar, a hint of cherry, sweet oak, leather and barrel char.
Other Reviewer’s Perceptions
Mash & Drum: Sweet.
Breaking Bourbon: Cinnamon | Baking spices | Toffee | Nougat | Raw sugar
Bourbon Banter: The finish is round and warm with a bit of white pepper, chocolate-covered cherry, and a fading peach candy note.
Mouthfeel
The mouthfeel is Silken and pleasant.
Mouthfeel Rating Guide: Thin = Watery | Silken = smooth & slippery, but not mouth coating | Creamy = coats the tongue like heavy cream does. | Rich or Unctuous = coats the entire palate like quality olive oil
The Burn
4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 115 proof, not 125 proof.
Tasting Summary
Larceny A125 hits the palate with a burst of caramel & brown sugar sweetness which is quickly followed with a contrasting balance of mild cinnamon & mild clove spiciness along with pleasant tannic oak and barrel char. This isn’t super complex, but the flavors are very nicely balanced and complex enough to make this a very enjoyable pour, especially for the price of $60.
My Rating – 7.8
The higher the score the better the whiskey is in my opinion. For reference, my best rated bottle so far is the George T. Stagg 2022 (138.7p) with a score of 9.7.
| Score Type | Score | Examples |
| Likability Score | 7.8 | 1.0 – 10.0 |
My Tasting Notes
A blank version of this tasting notes wheel is available in both a color and a black & white version in the member’s area.
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