Bourbon

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finish

/ / Bourbon, Review /

Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finish
Straight Bourbon Whiskey

47.5% ABV
$60
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Sherry Barrel Finish Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Our high-rye bourbon was aged for more than five years in New American Oak Barrels. They are then finished for an additional nine months in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Barrels that were hand built in the Jerez Region of Sothern Spain.

  • Nose: Caramel, sassafras (root beer), cinnamon, and raisins
  • Body: Light and nutty; walnut, toasted almond, green cardamom, and a hint of vanilla bean
  • Finish: Mild, toasted rye bread and tobacco

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, corn flakes, cocoa, soft oak, raisins and walnuts.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, nutty with caramel, cherries, vanilla, raisins, fruitcake, cinnamon and pepper.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length, drying with raisins and orange marmalade.
Comments:  Nicely balanced, with the sherry influence clearly there but not heavy handed (compared to the Port finish).  The nose has corn notes which normally are associated with a younger whiskey, but I expect this is due to the northern climate in which this was matured – as there aren’t any other ‘young’ notes. A bit of water brings out orange zest on the nose and orange cola on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Port Barrel Finish

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Traverse City Whiskey Co. Port Barrel Finish
Straight Bourbon Whiskey

50% ABV
$60
Website
Traverse City Whiskey Co. Port Barrel Finish Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Traverse City Whiskey Co. and Ro-Bro Marketing & PR for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

Our five year aged straight bourbon whiskey has been carefully finished for an additional nine months in massive 300L Ruby Port wine barrels. The dryness of the casks meld perfectly with the sweetness of our bourbon for a deliciously balanced spirit.

  • Nose: Very light, stone fruit and buttercream, hint of orange
  • Body: Sweet and silky; tart cherries, vanilla, sweet fennel, hint of toasted marshmallow
  • Finish: Tannic but slightly sweet, burnt sugar and toasted orange peel

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel corn, plums, raisins, cinnamon, port wine and molasses.
Palate:  Sweet, heavy port influence, raisins, berries, black cherry, cinnamon and honey.
Finish:  Moderate in length with berries, touch of caramel and pepper.
Comments:  The port influence on this one is heavy given the finishing time. I’m a fan of port finished and matured whiskey. Coupled with this being the highest proof of the three Traverse City Whiskey Co. Finished products – I had expected that this would be my favorite, and it was actually my least favorite of the three. Disclosing this as it may be that I had higher expectations for this one given those facts, as there aren’t any ‘off-putting’ notes; just heavy on the port and not as balanced as I was hoping for.

Rating: Average/Stands Out

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Murray Hill Club Blended Bourbon Whiskey

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Murray Hill Club Blended Bourbon Whiskey

51.5% ABV
$90-$140
Website
Murray Hill Club Bourbon

What the Producer Says

Toasty, buttery notes of vanilla and char, with layers of spiced, dried fruits through the finish

A true bourbon blend crafted using the same techniques Joseph Magnus used to create this original pre-Prohibition spirit more than 100 years ago. Artfully marries 18 and 11-year-old bourbon with 9-year-old light whiskey to deliver notes of butterscotch, honey, toffee, autumnal baking spices, vanilla, and char, with a hint of black pepper that lingers through a softly spiced and toasted finish.

An adventure in whiskey made in the fashion of an era gone by
The drinkers of Murray Hill Club Whiskey were, in accordance with Joseph’s vision, people of discriminating taste and mature judgment. Magnus actively introduced his whiskey into the leading bars, hotels, cafes, and groceries of his day. Local newspapers were peppered with advertisements for this new whiskey, which quickly earned great acclaim. He encouraged readers to sample just a taste, for “give this whiskey a trial once, and you’ll take no other brand.”

What Gary Says

Nose:  Pecan pie with a salted caramel drizzle, rickhouse oak, cigar smoke, dark chocolate and leather.
Palate:  Viscous mouthfeel, caramel, vanilla, maple glazed donut, honey, nutmeg, bit of cinnamon, oak and chocolate.
Finish:  Moderately long with caramel, chocolate and mixed nuts.
Comments:  When I tasted this, I didn’t know anything about it (I usually do avoid reading a producer/distiller’s tasting notes first to avoid ‘confirmation bias’) so I was surprised to learn that this was a blend of bourbon and light whiskey (NOT a straight whiskey). That said, it’s pretty damned good. First thought I had was that this is a bourbon made to enjoy with a cigar (if that’s your thing). Robust, sweet, oaky but well balanced. This drinks lovely neat, although a bit of water brings out some molasses and ginger-snap cookie on the nose.

Rating: Must Try

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Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon

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Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon
Batch 141c

57.58% ABV
$75-$85
Website
Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon

What the Producer Says

No water added because none is needed.

We took the same vintage blending philosophy that we used to create Small Batch, except this time the goal was to create high proof bourbon that tasted its best neat. Uncut is so rich and sweet with an unbelievably thick mouth feel, the heat and rye spice finish are a welcome addition. It’s like milk with cookies!

Blending vintages of our high rye mash bill to achieve this flavor profile at 115-116 plus proof was a very rewarding challenge for us. There is a delicate balance between creamy mouthfeel, tannins and sugars that comes into play that makes the end result magical. Older vintages have more evaporation which means a higher concentration of fats and sugars per ounce which gives them a nice creamy mouthfeel as well as caramel and honey goodness. They also have more tannins because alcohol has been in contact with the wood for longer. A lot of what some perceive as alcohol burn is actually a harshness due to tannins. This can counterbalance the benefit gained by the high concentration of lipid esters insulating your pallet from alcohol heat. There needs to be enough of the older bourbon for the oak flavors and mouthfeel, but also some younger ones to cut back on the tannins and bring in some delicate fruit and caramel flavors.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Salted caramel, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, vanilla, dark chocolate, cherries, hint of black currants.
Palate:  Creamy mouthfeel, vanilla wafers, caramel sauce, dusting of cinnamon and nutmeg, fudge, honey, oak and a hint of ginger snaps.
Finish:  Moderately long, drying with caramel, ginger and pepper.
Comments:  Very nice cask strength bourbon. The non-chill filtration stands out with the mouthfeel, which is almost chewy, and also adds to the depth of flavor. I wasn’t impressed with the Smoke Wagon Small Batch bourbon – not finding it bad but just overpriced for what I thought it was. Honestly, I didn’t want to like this one mainly because of all of the hype (not that I don’t like Indiana distilled bourbon), so I went into this one with a skeptical eye (or nose?). But I really liked it every time I tried it. Takes water really well, keeping that viscous mouthfeel.

Rating: Must Try

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Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Bourbon

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Smooth Ambler Founders’ Cask Strength Series
Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon Mashbill 2
2022 Batch 4
6 Years old

61.4% ABV
$55
Website
Smooth Ambler Founders Cask Strength Straight Bourbon Whiskey
We would like to thank Smooth Ambler and Cork + Knife for sending us a sample to review.

What the Distillery Says

We love sharing our homemade liquid because we get to let y’all taste what makes our part of the world so perfect for making whiskey. With this Bourbon recipe, we add a modest amount of rye to play well with our casks in the Appalachian climate. It’s a surprising meddling of flavors and geographical super powers that just work effortlessly.

Didn’t know we made a rye-backed Bourbon? Yeah… we didn’t but now we do. You’re welcome. So please enjoy this newly minted convergence of flavors from our home to yours.

SUBTLE SPICE? IT’S NICE
UNIQUE BATCHES? YOU BET
LOW RYE BOURBON? COOL HUH!
CASK STRENGTH? ALWAYS

Graham Cracker, Dark Chocolate, Cherry, Allspice

DISTILLED IN WEST VIRGINIA

71% CORN
21% RYE
8% MALTED BARLEY

What Gary Says

Nose:  Caramel, vanilla, charred oak, fall leaves, dark chocolate, smoke, orange zest, cherries and a hint of root beer.
Palate:  Chewy mouthfeel, caramel, dark chocolate, walnuts, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, orange bitters, cola, graham crackers and a bit of molasses.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with nutty caramel and pepper spice.
Comments:  I’ve been a fan of Smooth Ambler since the ‘old days’ (in fact, I still have some of their sourced barrel proof rye stashed), but didn’t love Contradiction (which blends sourced whiskey with their own make). So I was excited for the opportunity to try something that is all their own whiskey. This is a really nice, solid, straight down the middle of the plate bourbon. Well balanced, just a bit of spice and not too much oak. In my opinion, 6 years is a really solid age for bourbon (not that I don’t love a four-year old bottled-in-bond, but I find 6-8 years old to be right in my wheelhouse). Also appreciate the price point given the age and proof. While a smaller distillery (have heard some refer to them as one of the ‘original craft distilleries’), this is doesn’t come across like a small distillery “figuring things out”. This takes water well, bringing out notes of fresh tobacco on the nose and rice putting on the palate.

Rating: Stands Out

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