Jefferson's Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Cognac Casks

VITALS:

- $60

- 94 Proof

- NAS

- Unknown Source

It has been a long time since Jefferson's released a rye. Their 10-year rye was discontinued quite some time ago, and I was lucky enough to find one on the secondary market just a few years back. It's been 5-6 years, though, at least, since a Jefferson's rye was release. So, when I saw the press release for this Cognac finished rye, I was certainly excited. I have a thing for Cognac and Armagnac finishes anyway, so this one seemed right up my alley.

My guy at my local shop, knowing I was looking forward to this one, was kind enough to set one aside for me. I will say, the price is certainly right on this.   So often lately these special or limited releases are asking $100+, and it's somewhat refreshing to see this one come in at a reasonable $60. I was a bit disappointed at the low proof, the lack of an age statement, and no identifying information on the bottle as to the source, but of course I can forgive all that if what's inside is good!

The nose on this one was very caramel forward. I went in expecting to get the sweet and fruity brandy notes, but the caramel notes of the rye really dominated.  I also got a light chocolate note to complement the caramel. It had some of the traditional rye notes, with a bit of woodiness and some pine. It also had a bit of orange to the aroma, as well as an almond note. The smell wasn't robust or anything, but what was there was very enticing.

On my first pour, my immediate impression was that this whiskey was light and watered down. It was watery in both texture and flavor, and my high hopes were immediately dashed. I expected the Cognac finish to impart a lot of flavor, and it seemed as though the flavor was all a bit muted.

I did get a warm pastry note right off the bat, along with a touch of cherry. The rye came through pretty well too, as I got a healthy dose of cinnamon. The Cognac was noticeable as well, and it came through as pear and even plum at times. That said, all these great notes came across as a bit muted.

There was also an initial bitter note that I got to, kind of like when you eat a bitter walnut. It had the sweet woodiness, but that bitter note just seemed to get in the way.  

I will say, however, that this whiskey got better with each pour. The more I tried it, the more I liked it, to the extent that I really loved my last few pours and wished it weren't gone. I don't know if it was just my frame of mind when I was first digging in or if giving it a bit of time actually helped.

By the final few pours it had developed this rich and almost creamy nougat flavor. With the chocolate notes that I was getting throughout, it reminded me a bit of a 3 Musketeers bar.  The cherry and cinnamon notes, although not prominent by any stretch, really complemented this flavor such that it made for a great combination of flavors toward the end.

Unfortunately, this one just did not live up to my hopes and expectations. Perhaps that's unfair of me to expect more flavor out of a lower proof whiskey, but given the finish, I really wanted that explosion of flavor that you get from so many other finished whiskeys. This one was just too subdued for me. While the price was great, the whiskey itself just didn't live up to what I was hoping it would be.

Grade: B-

Jefferson's 10 Year Straight Rye Whiskey

VITALS:
- $45
- 94 Proof
- 10 Years
- Batch No. 63
- Canada

Well-aged ryes seem to be harder and harder to come by, and Jefferson's rye, which is now out of production, seems to be a symbol of this trend. After all, this 10-year rye at one point offered a well-aged rye at a decent price-point.  Good luck finding this old of a rye at this price today. As was the case with this bottle, the only way to land one is on the secondary market.

Jefferson's is a non-distilling producer, or NDP, however, meaning they don't produce their own whiskey, but rather select and bottle whiskey sourced from other producers. This particular whiskey, which is a 100% rye mashbill, is sourced from Alberta Distillers in Canada (despite the very patriotic branding with the Jefferson name, the profile of Jefferson himself and the arch of stars half-circling him on the bottle).

Nonetheless, I was eager to try something that, in all likelihood, I'll never try again. Interestingly, as I opened this one up, I noticed that the cork was loose, as though it had contracted a bit. The bottle did not show signs of any evaporation, and as I pulled it off the bottom of the court made a tight seal. I did some very brief research on the web and found a few other mentions of this phenomenon. I'm not really sure what to make of it.

The nose is soft, almost floral in nature. It has hints of cinnamon and pine, but not necessarily the spice that usually accompanies those flavors. Just mild versions of those flavors, and with little to no burn.

On the palate, this whiskey is smooth and sweet. It primarily has notes of caramel and vanilla, but also has that pine flavor from the nose. The pine, though light, adds an interesting tang to the mix. Cinnamon comes in late on the back end, but while all the other flavors fade away, the cinnamon flavor seems to stick around forever.

As I made my way through this bottle, I found it to be incredibly easy to drink. It is certainly inoffensive, and delicious enough to keep me going right back to this bottle pour after pour. Later pours revealed the lightest of wood tones that weren't present initially. This turned that cinnamon flavor into more of an earthy note, like a cinnamon stick.

I also picked up a bot of orange peel in the mix. I didn't get this note all the time, but when I did notice it, it provided a welcome and delicious mix of sweet and bitter that had me wishing that it was just a bit more prevalent.

Overall, this was a relatively simple, yet delicious rye. I went into it with hopes that it would blow me away, and it didn't quite do that. Perhaps that's a bit unfair to set the bar that high, but I really had this hyped in my head that it was going to be spectacular, and while it was very good, I just wouldn't go that far.

Grade: B

Jefferson's Reserve Ridiculously Very Small Batch Warehouse Liquors Private Selection Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $45
- 90.2 Proof
- NAS
- Kentucky

Once again Warehouse Liquors in Chicago proves that they know what they're doing when it comes to picking barrels. Having never run across a private select from Jefferson's, and being a fan of Jefferson's generally, I had to pick this one up and give it a loving home.

The nose was interesting. It had almost a cola scent to it. It smelled like a Vanilla Coke, just with not as much vanilla in it. It was sweet with absolutely no burn. The notes were subtle, and it certainly wasn't pungent, but what was there made me eager to try my first pour.

Unfortunately, I went in with high expectations, having loved every other private selection I've tried from Warehouse Liquors, and initially this one underwhelmed. It came across as soft and simple, with no complexities and very straight-forward flavor. Initially I got a bunch of amaretto flavor, but on the sweet and mild side. It was almost candy-like in this way, though I just couldn't think of a candy to compare it to.

I also got notes of milk chocolate and caramel, and while all of this sounds good, each of these flavors were soft and muted, and I really wanted more from it.

However, as I made my way through this bottle over the next few weeks, this bourbon just got better and better as I went. What was disappointing at the start, ended up exceeding my expectations and turning out to be a great whiskey!

The amaretto, which was the most forward flavor to start, seemed to fade to the background, making way for the milk chocolate and even a marshmallow note. It also seemed to get sweeter and sweeter as it went.

The last few pours were like drinking candy corn and buttery marshmallows. It also maintained a cereal quality, like Corn Checks, throughout, that, when mixed with that buttery marshmallow, made this a dessert-like whiskey that I found myself craving. It was as though I developed a sweet tooth for this whiskey.

Considering the first few pours were underwhelming, I nonetheless give this whiskey a high grade because of just how strong it finished. By the end I found myself wishing I had grabbed another bottle for future consumption. This is one of those bottles that reminds me why I prefer writing my reviews only after I've finished a bottle.

Grade: A-

Jefferson's Grand Selection Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes Cask Finish Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $130
- 90 Proof
- NAS
- Region: Kentucky

Jefferson's has recently put out a couple of incredibly fancy-looking, and incredibly pricy bottles of bourbon finished in highly acclaimed or rated ex-wine casks. In addition to this Sauternes finish, they also shortly thereafter released a bourbon finished in ex-Pinchon Baron casks.

I'll admit, the fancy packaging absolutely drew me in. I also know that I am prone to really liking wine-barrel finished bourbons. Though some are better than others, certainly, for the most part I haven't found one I didn't enjoy. So, despite the hefty price tag, I nonetheless wanted to give this a try. After all, Jefferson's, although they do like to experiment, have also become a brand that I trust and am willing to give the benefit of the doubt.

The nose, as expected, is fruity and sweet. The wine notes are immediately prevalent and pungent, noticeable from a few feet away as soon as I popped the cork. They gave off notes of strawberry and dark cherry, but also the sweetness of honey. Much of this seemed to mask the traditional bourbon notes on the nose, however.

The palate is likewise sweet and fruity. It's heavy on the raspberry notes, mixed with a whole bunch of vanilla bean. It reminded me of those vanilla ice cream cups that have the raspberry swirl in them. It's that sweet and that noticeable.

In fact, the bourbon notes were very much buried in those first few pours. I really struggled to find them, and, though I really wanted to enjoy it, I just found it hard to do so.

However, as this bottle was allowed to sit for a while after being opened, it did seem to transform. The sweetness died down a bit, and some of the traditional bourbon notes came through. It reminded me more now of those raspberry fruit strips that you can get a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods—the kinds with no artificial sweeteners in them. It was like unsweetened raspberry jelly.

While it was good and had solid influence from the wine, it still just wasn't what I look for in a wine-finished bourbon. The influence was almost too heavy on this one for me. It just wasn't what I was hoping for. That being said, I've got bourbon-loving friends that I know would absolutely love this product, and this is just one of those that whether it's loved or not is going to completely depend on the individual drinker.

Grade: B-

Jefferson's Chef's Collaboration Blended Straight Whiskey

VITALS
- $40
- 90 Proof
- 2 Years
- Batch No. 12
- Region: Kentucky

This is one of those whiskeys that I've wanted to try for quite some time, but I saw it so frequently on the shelves that I seemed to always have something else I wanted to try first, not worrying that this would become difficult to find. And then it did, at least for a while. There was a dry spell where I actively looked for the Jefferson's Chef's Collaboration and just couldn't find it. Eventually, though, it came back to the shelves and appears to have a regular place once again. This time I didn't take the chance and finally grabbed a bottle.

Chef's Collaboration is, as it's name would suggest, a collaboration between Jefferson's and world-famous chef Edward Lee of the 610 Magnolia and Milkwood restaurants in Louisville. It's not a bourbon, however, but rather a blended whiskey, consisting of a blend of bourbon and rye, much like High West's Bourye, Wild Turkey's Forgiven or Smooth Ambler's Contradiction. Some of these blended bourbons and ryes have seen success, and some haven't, but in general I'd heard good things about Chef Lee's design, and I couldn't wait to try it for myself.

The first thing that I noticed is its color. I rarely comment on color, as it really seems to have no bearing on anything, but this was noticeably lighter than the other whiskeys sitting next to it on my shelf. I can't say that it's attributable to one thing or another, just merely an observation.

The nose is sweet and spicy. I get a lot of vanilla and caramel with the cinnamon spice you'd expect from the rye. In that sense it had me expecting something traditional and bold, despite its lighter color.

On the first pour, it came across as very smooth and certainly on the sweeter side. I got distinct molasses flavors, and even a hint of peach. It also had a long, spicy cinnamon finish that really complimented that peach note. The texture is a bit on the watery side, yet the finish was nonetheless long and flavorful.

Interestingly, I also got a mintiness in the finish, which created a bit of a strange balance with the spicy cinnamon notes. Long after each sip I got a sort of cooling in the throat, which was particularly noticeable once the spice subsided.

Even towards the end of the bottle, after being open for a while, that minty sensation remained. In fact, the flavor profile of this whiskey didn't really change at all over time. It's the most consistent bottle in that respect that I've had in a long time. The only really noticeable change was that I got a slight wood note in the last few pours. Nothing tannic or dry about it, just a slight woody flavor to it.

Although this is not an overly complex whiskey, it is nonetheless an interesting and flavorful one. The transition in flavors from front to back is what really sticks out. It's very sweet up front, spicy at the back end, and then it leaves you with a cool minty sensation once the flavors have kind of evaporated. It's a solid pour, and is probably offered at the right price. It's not spectacular, but it is full of flavor and very easy to drink.

Grade: B

Jefferson's Reserve Groth Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Cask Finished Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:
- $70
- 90.2 Proof
- NAS
- Batch No. 7

Jefferson's Reserve Groth Reserve Cask Finish has been staring me in the face from it's spot on the liquor store shelf for quite some time, intriguing me, but not enough for me to pony up the $70 to buy it. However, I stumbled upon a couple of very positive reviews online, and I decided to give it a try. Specifically, others had commented that for people that like wine barrel finished bourbons, of which I consider myself one, this is one of the better ones out there.

The nose is soft and inoffensive, a nice blend of vanilla and dark fruits, kind of a blend of black cherry and raspberry. The wine influence is noticeable immediately upon popping the cork. Interestingly, the longer the bottle was open the stronger the wine scent became.

The palate, much like the nose, is soft and velvety smooth. Sweet tobacco mixes nicely with hints of plum and blackberry. On the back end lightly spiced vanilla notes come in. The wine influence is significant but not overwhelming. Unlike the port finished bourbons like Angel's Envy, the wine influence here isn't sweet, but more of a savory wine flavor.

That wine balances nicely with the traditional caramel and vanilla notes of the bourbon. Those more traditional notes don't really come through, though, until the finish. That's where this bourbon really seemed to sweeten up, leaving a nice caramel coating on my throat and a vanilla undertone that just never really seemed to go away.

This bourbon has a nice viscosity to it, really feeling substantial in my mouth. Yet, the lower proof mixed with the wine finish makes for a very easy drinker, one that anyone from the novice to the experienced bourbon drinker can appreciate. Also, for what it's worth, it goes really well with good milk chocolate!

Grade: B+