EmbellishPod

So hopefully by now you’ve watched the most recent episode where I talked a little bit about Kentucky Bourbon Festival. One of the things I mentioned in there specifically was about Craig Beam and what Craig Beam is doing at Jackson Purchase Distillery.

I’m a little biased towards Jackson Purchase, mainly because it’s on the western end of the state. They’ve been producing whiskey for quite some time, and they sneakily — somewhat sneakily — released a bottle around festival time. I’ve subsequently been able to find that bottle, and I’m super excited to talk about it.

The Bottle

Jackson Purchase Batch 1, Full Proof, Four Year Whiskey at 117.8 proof.

When you’ve got a name like Beam, you’ve got to make some good whiskey, obviously. And it’s at a reasonable price point, I think, for a first launch of a brand. But let’s talk about it, right?

The Process

We drank this three different times, three different days on three different sets of glassware with an intent to try to remove any bias that I might have based off of what happened throughout the course of that day.

Tasting Notes

First Pass:

• Nose: A lot of caramel and barrel spice.

• Palate: Like cranberry juice, but not the cranberry cocktail — just regular cranberry juice — and a little bit of nut.

• Finish: Some orange zest and some black pepper.

Second Pass:

• Nose: Gummy caramel and a little bit of cola.

• Palate: More sarsaparilla and tart cherry.

• Finish: Real zesty and spicy kind of again.

Third Pass:

• Nose: My immediate thought was, is this a Christmas bourbon? Maybe.

• Palate: Cranberry and sour cherry again.

• Finish: Grapefruit zest and barrel spice.

The Verdict

I think for a first entry into the market, for a four year old whiskey, for what these guys are doing — phenomenal pour.

Go figure out what these guys have going on. They’re doing some contract distillation for some other folks, but they’re also making their own stuff. And this is a very phenomenal pour at the price point that it is and for what they’re doing.

If you haven’t checked out Jackson Purchase yet, now’s the time.

Details:

• Proof: 117.8

• Age: 4 Years

• Type: Full Proof, Batch 1

• Worth it? Absolutely. Great price point for what you’re getting.

Look, I’m not gonna bury the lead here — this is a really, really good bottle.

I recently had Angel’s Envy on the podcast, and they were nice enough to send over their 10 Year Cask Strength. Now, the 10 year thing is a little different than what you might think. It’s not necessarily what they’re calling it, but it’s 10-ish years old. Has to do with their use of secondary barrels and what they’re doing there. Go listen to the podcast with Owen if you want the full breakdown on that, because it’s actually pretty fascinating.

This particular bottle clocked in at 122.6 proof and retails for $250. So yeah, it’s a pricey bottle. Let’s talk about whether it’s worth the dollars or not.

The Process

I drank this three different days on three different sets of glassware. Why? To try to eliminate any palate bias I might have based off of what I consumed that particular day. This is how I approach anything I’m taking seriously.

Tasting Notes

First Pass:

• Nose: Plum, oak, dark sugars, and cola. A lot going on, which you sort of expect for a 10-ish year old whiskey.

• Palate: Brighter fruit, maybe stone fruit of some type, but not quite as dark as plum. Still some dark sugar kind of floating around in there, but maybe not from the fruit side of it.

• Finish: Chocolate, chocolate, and dark fruit cake. And maybe chocolate is a note for either a pirate or a flavor of charred chocolate, right? Hey, maybe we’ll keep that for later on.

Second Pass:

• Nose: Like a red caramel. That’s not a thing, but that’s what my brain told me. Sometimes it bees that way.

• Palate: Cola, jammy fruit, and some super, super sweet black tea.

• Finish: Really solid wood and jammy notes.

Third Pass:

• Nose: Caramel, gummy, wood. That’s what my brain said. It’s what you get, right?

• Palate: Wood and tea, and there was something herbal in there that I couldn’t quite place.

• Finish: Chocolate and barrel spice. And maybe there’s some char-clot in there as well. Maybe that’s what I’m getting there.

The Verdict

I really enjoyed this pour. I like older aged whiskeys — probably stop around 15 years — but somewhere between 10 and 15 seems to be the right place for me. This hits that sweet spot.

If you’re the kind of person that has no problem spending $250 on a bottle, this is probably an easy buy for you. If you do have a problem spending that kind of money and you see it out at a bar for 20 or 30 bucks for a pour, it’s probably worth trying. I think it’s a phenomenal whiskey.

If you live in this part of the state and you want to try it, let me know. I’ll pour you up some. But beyond that, if you see it out and you get an opportunity to try it, you really probably should give it a shot.

What these guys are doing is really, really interesting. Go listen to what Owen has to say on the podcast. It’s a really fun episode and you should go listen to that because that’s what makes this possible.

Details:

• Proof: 122.6

• Price: $250

• Age: ~10 years

• Worth it? Absolutely, if the price doesn’t scare you off.