Prichard's Bourbon

[mickblueeyes]

Alright guys, school is done and I am back. Here is the first of many notes I have made in the last few weeks.

I was priveleged to taste a pre-release of this new bourbon made in Kelso, TN by the same company that makes Prichard's Rum. It is unique in the world of bourbon (but not the world of spirits) in that it is double casked. First the bourbon is distilled and placed in new charred oak barrels, just like every other bourbon. After a brief stint in the original barrels, it is watered down to 45% abv and then placed back in the barrels for continued aging. Total age is 9 years.

Nosing the bourbon I get the distinctive nose of Knob Creek: banana, coconut, butterscotch, toffee and an orangey hint. The fore palate is nice with contiunation of the caramelized oranges and toffeeish components--I find it unusually dry, for a bourbon, however. The finish turns south and resembles Jack Daniels Black label more than Knob Creek. The best way to describe it is open a bag of Kingsford Charcoal and take a big whiff of the cloud of dust. The finish is very dry, charcoal-y and borders on distasteful.

Adding water to the bourbon downplays the fruit aspect and increases the toffeeish/caramel aspects, as well as lessens the dryness of the finish.

Overall, this is a well constructed whiskey, but they have overcharred the barrels (should have used a No. 3 charr) or the premise of dilution before aging has been shown to be an exercise in how NOT to make top notch bourbon.

However, that being said, the bourbon has potential. The next batch will not be released until Nov. 03, so future batches could be better. This is a nice whiskey that would mix well with ginger ale or be a favorite of Jack Daniels fans. I would hesitate to put it on the rocks as all the fruit and caramel will disappear, leaving only the charcoal.

So, to all the fans of Jack Daniels and those brave enough to experiment at $29.99, drink up!

[Ron Johnson]

Thanks for the heads-up Mickey. Looks like my 30 bucks is best spent elsewhere.

As a Kentuckian I have an unfounded and unsupporatbel dislike for tennessee whiskey anyway.

Edited December 10, 2002 by ron johnson (log)

[mickblueeyes]

LOL! This isn't TN whiskey though--this is bourbon, but I agree--I still don't like it!

[Ktepi]

This isn't actually about the bourbon, but:

Has anyone had Prichard's Cranberry Rum, Sweet Georgia Belle, or Sweet Lucy?

The NH state liquor stores don't appear to carry Prichard's products, so before I move there I'm going to buy a bottle of the spiced rum (my rum of choice); I'm wondering if any of the other products are things I'll shoot myself in the foot for not buying while I have the chance.