Bourbon

J. Riddle Peated Bourbon

45.5% ABV
$45
Website

What the Distillery Says

Two James Spirits is proud to announce the release of our newest spirit, J. Riddle Peated Bourbon. This unique spirit pairs the sweet robust flavor of corn bourbon with the elegant smokiness of single malt whiskey. The mash bill possesses subtle notes of vanilla, buttered popcorn, sea salt, fresh cut grass and light smoke. What started off as an experimental mix of grains developed into a delicious bourbon unlike any other on the market. Distilled on-site from 79% Michigan Corn and 21% Scottish Barley and aged in full-format 53-gallon new American oak barrels, we are excited to release our first barrels and for you to savor and enjoy!

What Gary Says

Nose:  Funky, wet leather, cardboard, buttered popcorn with celery salt, malted barley, freshly cut green wood, hints of vanilla, cornbread, and odd vegetal notes.
Palate:  Sweet entry of butterscotch, vanilla, a soured grain note, caramel, earthy peat sneaking in with some tame ginger, a hint of clove and creamed corn.
Finish:  Moderate in length, drying with lingering peat and creamed corn notes.
Comments:  This is an odd dram, reminding me more of an American single malt than a bourbon. I like peated whiskey, but if your frame of reference is Islay scotch whisky, this isn’t anything like that. The peat is there, but it is different – more earthy/vegetal than sea air/brine/coastal. Plus only a fraction of the grain is malted with peat – so it is much less intense. The corn is quite evident. On the nose, I wouldn’t have guessed this to be peated, but it shows up more on the palate. It is a very interesting pour. I had to make several passes at it, as the aromas and flavors didn’t jump out as being things I get in whisk(e)y – which for me is intriguing.

Rating: Stands Out

Noble Oak Double Oak Bourbon
Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Sherry Oak Staves

45% ABV
$30-$37
Website

What the Producer Says

A GREAT BOURBON WITH A NOBLE HEART.
NOBLE OAK is a unique award winning bourbon with a worthy purpose. We at Noble Oak are fanatics about wood. That’s because 70% of a bourbon’s flavor comes from the wood. With Noble Oak, we elegantly marry two of the world’s most coveted types of oak used in whiskey making: American White Oak and Spanish Sherry Oak. We use time honored methods and our patented Compression Finishing™ process to create an unrivaled bourbon with body, deep color, and richness of flavor from some of the finest sherry oak staves. The result is a Great Bourbon with a Noble Heart.

FIRST, we traditionally rest our bourbon in Charred New American White Oak barrels for a minimum of one year, developing sweet vanilla notes and a deep caramel tone.

THEN, through our patented Compression Finishing™ process, we add complexity and flavor using Spanish Sherry Oak Staves, the same wood used to craft the world’s finest and rarest whiskies. This process uses cycles of heat and pressure to maximize the interaction of wood and spirit. The resulting whiskey is full of richness and flavor with notes of dried fruit, cherry, vanilla and spice.

THE RESULT is Noble Oak: a Great Bourbon with a Noble Heart.
A Bourbon with a Purpose
In partnership with onetreeplanted.org, we help save our planet and restore our forests by replanting trees in deforested areas.

What Gary Says

Nose:  Heavy oak, vanilla flan with freshly grated nutmeg and toasted orange zest; notes of raisins with corn syrup.
Palate:  Soft oaky vanilla with caramel corn, raisins, and a touch of pepper spice.
Finish:  Short to moderate in length with oak and dried fruit notes.
Comments:  While nothing offputting, it is a bit on the oaky side and clearly a young bourbon. I’m not a big fan of many ‘double-oak’ products, and this is no exception. The sherry stave finishing is well done – not too heavy handed, which I appreciate. I don’t care to pay this much for young bourbon, but considering their noble cause (and unique offering, not a lot of sherry-stave finished bourbons out there), it isn’t outrageous.

Rating: Stands Out