// Spice
Clove
What It Actually Smells or Tastes Like
A warm, slightly medicinal baking spice note -- more intense and numbing than cinnamon, closer to whole clove than ground cinnamon.
How to Recognize It
Often shows up on the finish in higher-proof or higher-rye pours; a lingering, slightly tingling sensation is a common sign of this note.
Flavor perception varies from person to person -- this is a guide for what to check for, not a claim that everyone tasting the same pour will notice it the same way.
How It Connects to Production
Like cinnamon, spice notes are commonly associated with rye content and heavier barrel char, though neither guarantees it -- see Find Perfect Pour.
Related Descriptors in Spice
Related Glossary Terms
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Bourbon Styles Often Associated With Clove
Based on each style's own documented flavor tendencies -- not a ranking, and not a guarantee any specific bottle within a style shows this note.
Explore Bottles Showing Clove
32 real bottles in our Distillery Directory whose own listed flavor notes include a real, closely related phrase for this descriptor (not the exact wording, but the same flavor family, per our alias table).