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Chattanooga Whiskey not too long ago introduced new releases for his or her Experimental Batch line. Now as much as 27 complete expressions, these releases embody quite a lot of house-distilled spirits with distinctive distillates, finishes, infusions, and blends. We’ve beforehand reviewed their Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend and Whiskey 91 & Cask 111 expressions, although their experimental line options spirits with far more offbeat backgrounds.
The most recent — Batch 027, launched October 2022 — began with a straight bourbon whiskey aged for “over two years” in toasted and charred oak cooperage. (So one would assume it’s nonetheless youthful than a 3 12 months outdated whiskey.) Whereas the precise mashbill isn’t disclosed, the grains used have been yellow corn, single supply Italian Eraclea malted barley, and malted rye. Chattanooga Whiskey emphasizes they classify this distillate as “excessive malt.”
Right here’s the place issues get fascinating. After the preliminary growing older course of, the bourbon was transferred to separate ending casks initially holding dessert wine: 57% of the mix was completed in Portuguese Moscatel de Setúbal casks, and 43% was completed in French Sauternes casks. Complete ending instances have been between 19 and 24 months earlier than the completed bourbon was “reunited,” or blended again collectively. Your complete batch dimension for launch 027 is simply seven barrels.
That’s fairly the pedigree, and Chattanooga Whiskey isn’t afraid to take massive swings with their experimental line. Let’s see how the completed product — bottled at 110 proof — holds up in style.
On the nostril, there’s quite a bit you’d anticipate from the dessert wine finishes. Cinnamon, toasted spices, black and white pepper, and a giant hit of clove stand entrance and middle. There’s additionally some darkish crimson fruit, like sniffing a not too long ago emptied glass of Port wine. There’s slightly younger oak from the bourbon itself, however that’s enjoying second fiddle at this level. Nostril once more (deeply), and there’s some pine, nevertheless it doesn’t cool the nostrils in order to overpower different scents. General, it is a bit like smelling a spicy, sticky, and doubtless very tasty pepper jam.
The primary sip provides off white raisin (the model tasting notes have been spot on right here), extra toasted spices and clove, slightly cinnamon, then dried sumac. Once more, it’s all dessert wine up entrance. The mouth is thick and syrupy at the start, and I’m getting some robust notes of malt right here. However that viscosity dissipates somewhat rapidly, and positively sooner than I might have most popular.
The nostril and preliminary taste felt so acquainted, I used to be scratching my head as to what they jogged my memory of. Then it hit me. The entire thing is harking back to Chinese language five-spice powder: star anise, cloves, Chinese language cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, fennel seeds are all current in some capability. It’s actually an fascinating trip at the start.
The end is the place the wine affect falls away and the younger bourbon itself comes by means of. And once more, these dessert wine flavors dip somewhat all of the sudden. Inexperienced oak, some corn sweetness, and a contact of grass hit the palate, and the consistency is far thinner in comparison with the primary mouthfeel. There’s little or no of the richness, spice, and complexity from the wine finishes right here, and I discovered myself making an attempt to chase these down with the end on each sip.
I’m not an outdated whiskey purist, and even this 12 months, I’ve had some youthful straight bourbons that knocked my socks off. However there’s simply not plenty of depth on this end. Sure elements of the nostril and mid-palate of this whiskey carry heavy rye and malt notes, nevertheless it’s virtually all younger oak on the finish.
In my view, completed whiskey can solely hit the highs of the liquid that went into it. This experimental whiskey boasts a giant pop in speedy taste however simply drops off on the finish, seemingly as a result of younger liquid that went into the ending barrels. (Once more, the preliminary growing older course of was underneath three years.) It’s bourbon that simply doesn’t have sufficient age to match that complexity all the best way, so the traits of the dessert wine barrels hit after which the remaining falls a bit flat.
Regardless of its limits, this was a downright enjoyable bottle to style and evaluate, although it’s not possible to flee the will to do this with older bourbon. After the primary nostril and preliminary sip, I assumed there was one thing borderline superb taking place right here, and the break up of the 2 dessert wine barrels is sort of good. When and if Chattanooga Whiskey incorporates older spirit into these experiments, we might have some magic on our palms.
Chattanooga Whiskey’s Experimental Batch releases can be found solely on the Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery.
110 proof.
B / $70 / chattanoogawhiskey.com
Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Batch 027
$70
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