Whiskey Review: Larceny Small Batch Bourbon

Today, we’re reviewing Larceny Small Batch Bourbon from Heaven Hill. This 92-proof whiskey is Heaven Hill’s baseline wheated bourbon offering and a direct competitor to Weller Special Reserve. The mash bill is undisclosed, and while it’s non-age stated, we know it’s at least four years old.

Larceny traces its roots back to the Old Fitzgerald brand, which Heaven Hill acquired years ago. For a while, the company wasn’t doing much with the brand, but Larceny was released as a nod to Old Fitz before Heaven Hill brought that line back as a premium product. In contrast, Larceny has stayed true to its value roots — the “people’s wheated bourbon.”

We were eager to revisit this bottle. Bob remembers not being a huge fan when he tried it years ago, but with the rising popularity of Larceny’s Barrel Proof expressions, it was time to give the 92-proof version another chance.

This review is taken from our episode "Vertigo (1958) / Larceny Small Batch Bourbon." Click the link to listen to this review in audio format.

Nose

Brad: There’s some caramel, some simple syrup. It’s definitely a little more corny — it’s got a bit of a raw corn feel. The note I enjoyed the most was it really smells like a little bit of melted salted butter, and I liked that. It was pretty good. 7/10

Bob: I like this a lot. This is much less astringent than I thought it would be — not harsh at all. There are some good peppery notes to it, just a hint of oak. You get that wisp of the cherry cola thing we like in wheated bourbons. I get a lot of citrus, particularly orange, almost like if you made an Old Fashioned with our favorite wheated bourbon. Again, I know this is a $30 bourbon, so I’m not expecting anything mind-blowing, but this is significantly better than I was expecting. 8/10

Taste

Brad: The corniness and butter continued for me — I just called it buttered corn or like corn on the cob. There’s some cream of wheat flavor going on here, and I got a little bit of vanilla extract — a little artificial, but a nice flavor. I think I’d come up just a little from the nose. 7.5/10

Bob: I can see why I didn’t like it the first time, but I’m coming up on it this time. It tastes like a really good wheated bourbon was then mixed with a batch of stuff they needed to get rid of, and they tried to blend some of the harsher edges off of it by introducing good stuff.

The very tip of my tongue is just sugar water — there’s not much there. And then it immediately gets this note of heavily charred oak — like, “Oh gosh, we over-oaked this batch.” Underlying the whole tasting experience is this bitter burnt note. But then you get really pleasant Old Fashioned notes — bitters, orange, cherry — it’s really nice.

But again, it’s like, “Hey, we gotta get rid of this bad batch too.” So I’m torn. The pleasant notes are really pleasant. It would blend well in a cocktail, and it’d be good on the rocks. Not bad for the price point, but trying to be objective: 7/10

Finish

Brad: The caramel kind of comes around on the back end for me. It gets almost like an unflavored cream cheese. There’s some honey flavor, but the oakiness definitely showed up for me too. This is just a solid, decent whiskey. 7/10

Bob: You said honey — it kind of reminds me of a honey liqueur. Like, what’s that crappy German bar stuff? Bärenjäger. Very pleasantly honeyed but a little artificial. Still has the over-oaked notes, though. 6.5/10

Balance

Brad: There’s nothing crazy here. It’s just kind of pretty good, solid whiskey from start to finish. 7/10

Bob: I’m with you. 7/10

Value

Brad: It’s on sale for $27.99, but I scored it on the MSRP: $29.99. I didn’t get quite the bitterness you were experiencing. At $30, this is about what you should expect — a solid benchmark for drinking in this price range. 7.5/10

Bob: That’s kind of what I expected. When we first started doing the podcast, it was closer to $24–25. It’s not a bad $30 whiskey. 6.5/10

Final Scores

Brad: I came to a 36/50.

Bob: I’m at a 35/50.

Together, we’re averaging a 35.5/50 — or 71/100 — which is exactly the point where we start recommending that you try a pour at a bar or buy a bottle. Larceny Small Batch isn’t going to blow anyone away, but it’s a great value mixer and a decent sipper for the price. Especially for someone looking to dip their toe into wheated bourbon or wanting a cocktail base that won’t get lost in the mix, this is a solid pickup.

We both agree: this one’s worth a spot on your shelf.