The Smelling Event
We always say the whiskey tastes like something other than whiskey, and it can be difficult to find words to express the flavors we want to describe. How is it that a whiskey can taste like fresh cut grass and another whiskey tastes like star anise, and what is fennel seed?
For this meet, we got a bunch of commonly cited flavors and smelled each of them before tasting whiskey. It gave us new vocabulary to describe flavors and understand each other. If you want to improve your ability to describe flavors, I recommend doing something similar. Go through your spice rack, or even go to your local retail store like Target or Joanne’s and smell candles. You’ll be surprised at how much easier it is to put words to a taste!
March's Selection
For March, we tried some whiskeys that have a unique spin on the process of making bourbon. All 3 of these are true bourbons; they’re made with at least 50% corn mash and aged in new charred white oak, etc. However, there are additional steps that make them different.
Jefferson's Ocean - Aged at Sea
Jefferson's, Crestwood, KY
Overall
9.00/ 10
Burn
6.6/ 10
Specs
Age: 6 to 8 years
ABV: 56 % or 112 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $87.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $74.00
(Flavors) burnt cherry, lavender, jasmine, lemon bars, margarin, turkey gravy, heavy charred oak, salt, brown sugar, molasses, dry purple grapes, blackberries, maple, all spice, star anise, rum, hot bread, mixed greens, pepper, apple
(Notes) This is one of the best whiskeys I’ve ever tasted. Several of us scored it as a 10 out of 10, which is very rare for us. Jefferson’s Ocean was extremely complex and delivers a unique set of flavors from beginning to middle and finish. All of us felt like we had been on the journey with the bottle. Not only that, but the burn was so smooth that we could barely believe that it was 112 proof. It has a thick viscosity and an amazing color.
I really thought this was going to be another expensive novelty whiskey, but it is absolutely worth the price and then some. The novelty of this whiskey is that it’s actually aged on a ship. It’s actually more than just a novelty, too. Whiskey gets a large part of it’s flavor from being pushed in and out of the charred wood it sits in, and the movement of the fluid is usually caused by shifts in the barometric pressure changes in a warehouse or cellar (click this section to learn more about this).
This particular voyage crossed the equator 4 times and went through a tropical hurricane. That voyage produced what is now one of my favorite whiskeys of all time. It’s a shame there’s not more of it, and it can’t be made exactly the same ever again.
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
Bull Run 10-Year Pinot Noir Barrel Finish
Bull Run, Portland, OR
Overall
5.2/ 10
Burn
5.2/ 10
Specs
Age: 10 + 21 month finish
ABV: 50% ABV or 100 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $34.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $28.60
(Flavors) ball point pen ink, potato chips, blueberry, decaying leaves, raisins, floral, wine, bananas foster, anise, dirt, grass, leather, wine, roses
(Notes) We haven’t had much luck with whiskeys that have a finish in another barrel, and frankly this one didn’t break the streak. We probably won’t venture into much more of these weird novelty ‘finished’ whiskeys again.
First, the smell – This whiskey smells amazing. We all agreed that it would make a great candle.
The first sip – Everyone’s faces puckered a little on the first sip. The common remark was, “Wow. This doesn’t taste at all like it smells.”
The second sip – Most of us thought, this got a little better on the second sip, maybe there’s some complexity to this we just weren’t ready for.
The third sip – Nope. With one exception we were all bitterly against this after a third sip. The one person who said he liked it compared it to secretly liking Katy Perry and feeling guilty for liking something that he knows just isn’t good.
You may find you like this bottle, and maybe it’s a great quality. As a bourbon, our club just didn’t like it. It’s pretty different though, and I don’t regret trying it. Nothing against Bull Run either, this one just didn’t thrill us.
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
Wild Turkey Longbranch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Oak & Texas Mesquite Charcoal Refined
Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg, KY
Overall
6.00/ 10
Burn
3.6/ 10
Specs
Age: N/A
ABV: 43% ABV or 86 proof
Price (Oregon State): 750 ML $39.95
(Value) Our club average value placed on this bottle was $29.00
(Flavors) smoky, salty, savory, anise, sugar, jalapeno, steak, bananas foster, stone, leather, black tea, anise, fig, cherry, cinnamon, brown sugar
(Notes) I usually start our reviews with something lower ABV and work us up to cask strength. I made a mistake and we reviewed this one last. Compared to the 2 bottles that were cask strength, this didn’t have as much punch.
However, the mesquite flavors really came through in this bottle. It’s hard to drink it and not think about a barbecue. It’s smooth, easy, and packed with complex savory flavors. Yeah, it has Matthew McConaughey’s signature on the label and that’s a little douchey, but it’s a pretty solid whiskey. At $40 a bottle, I think most of us would probably buy something else. I wouldn’t ever turn it down, and I might even order a pour sometime.
As a note, the mesquite that’s described here comes from the grains being dried over burning mesquite wood. This is a normal part of the process but is usually done with oak. The smoke soaks into the grains and gives flavor to the mash that eventually becomes whiskey.
Last featured tasting (click here)
Distiller’s website (click here)
