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Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Journeyman Distillery Kissing Cousins Whiskey

VITALS:
- $35
- 90 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 5
- Region: Michigan

Among the various whiskey and bourbon related Podcasts I've listened to over the years is one called, simply, the Bourbon Show. One of the hosts, Evan Haskill, is from Michigan, near Journeyman Distillery, and early on in the show's series he began touting just how amazing this product was. Of course, hearing him speak so highly of a product that I could never seem to find on the shelves only made me want it more. So when I stumbled across a bottle at Binny's, not even looking for bourbon, I made sure to snatch one up.

Kissing Cousins gets its name from the fact that it's a collaboration with Wyncroft Winery, placing Journeyman's Featherbone Bourbon into barrels that formerly held Cabernet Sauvignon. As one who is a fan of wine barrel-finished whiskeys, I was more than happy to give this a go, despite it only coming in a 375 ml bottle.

On the nose the wine notes are heavy up front, carrying significant plumb and dark cherry notes. Those are offset a touch by some citrus-y orange notes as well. It's very soft and fruity, seemingly layered over a distinct caramel note.

After enjoying that nose, the first taste came across much less sweet than I expected, which was not necessarily a bad thing. I got the traditional vanilla notes up front, but they seemed fleeting, as they were quickly overpowered by the strong flavor from the Cabernet Sauvignon, which lingered long after the vanilla notes dissipated. There is also a bit of amaretto flavor and the slightest hint of sour or over-ripe fruit, indicative of young bourbon being used.

The finish is primarily dark chocolate and cherry, lingering for a good amount of time after each swallow. There is almost no spice to speak of with this whiskey, which was a touch disappointing. The traditional bourbon notes just don't seem to ever show up either. Had the traditional vanilla or toffee notes been more prevalent, I might have found this whiskey much more enjoyable.

I guess ultimately it tastes like what it is, a young bourbon with a little too much wine influence for my tastes. I tried letting it sit for a bit, hoping it might open up some and some of the other flavors might come through, but that was not the case.  Nor did it seem to smooth out, almost developing even rougher edges over time than what it started with.

I was glad to finally try this one, but it just did not live up to Mr. Haskill's hype.

Grade: C+

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