Chattanooga Whiskey Barrel Finishing Series: Islay Scotch Cask Finish

I don’t really get it , I was excited to get this bottle and a big fan of Chattanooga but this is so over powered with smoke taste and char , it taste like whiskey that was left in front of a campfire all night with the smoke going directly into the glass then mixing a charred burnt wood in it . I’ve tried numerous attempts to revisit this and just can’t get past it , is this what scotch typically taste like ? If so it’s trash 🗑. Maybe I’ll try it in a cocktail .

The Devil went down to Georgia. By Devil here, of course, I mean my wife. She went to visit family, and before she left, she said, is there any whisky down there you can't get up here that you might want? I said, "Keep an eye out for Chattanooga, particularly the Islay finished version." I've wanted to get my hands on some Chattanooga ever since I saw this horror movie After Midnight (the movie is a great Horror Romance that, well, if you like horror isn't a bad one to watch around Valentine's Day...let's just leave it at that). Anyway, the guys in that movie go to the bar and drink Chattanooga 1816, and for some reason, maybe just the shape of the bottle or maybe because of how much I liked the movie, I wanted some too. And while my wife was down there, she came across the Islay finished so she picked up two bottles, and when she went to the counter, the guy told her that they had some Chattanooga Founder's Reserve in the back, so she came home with three bottles. Major score there. And last night I popped open the Islay. Damn this is good. I mean, it's right up my alley. Hudson released a rye last year that was finished in Islay barrels, and I enjoyed that, and I gave it a high score because of just how unique it was. But this one, this Chattanooga Islay finished is better. At first, I had trouble telling why I liked it so much. The nose was amazingly sweet and savory at the same time, but while I could tell that the savory was coming from the peat smoke influence, I couldn't tell what the sweetness was. It was candied and fruity, but it took me a minute to place the candied fruitiness as banana because I've never had a whisky that mixed those two aromas. I suppose you could also describe it as bubble gum, like a nice wad of Hubba Bubba. It's also got a nice woodiness counterbalanced with spice on the palate with a nice lingering peppery finish. This is one of those whiskies where, now that it's open, I'm going to want to drink it above all the other whiskies I have open, but then, it'll go too quick and I won't have it anymore. But wait, indeed I will, as I have that second bottle to hold onto for a day in the future when I want to do it all over again. That's the thing about bringing home whisky from a thousand miles away: if it's great, you can't get your hands on it all that easily. And with this being limited edition, well, I guess I need to savor it while I can. If you live in a region where this is available, pick up a bottle. Honestly, if I lived in a place where this was available, I'd pick up as many as I could, but you know I'm a sucker for the peat whether its an Islay scotch or merely the influence of Islay on an American whisky. It's probably not for everyone. And that leaves more for those of us who'll appreciate it.

On the nose, corn, peat, char, smoke, caramel and oak. Oak and peat dominate the palate, also smoke, pear cinnamon, vanilla, powdered sugar and char. Relatively hot for 95 proof, interesting for sure.

Number three from Chattanooga Whiskey for me and this is the best one yet. The nose is light, smokey, sweet vanilla and dark brown sugar. I don't think I can adequately describe the flavor. It's surprisingly smooth with very little burn. Then comes the sweet vanilla and brown sugar again with some black pepper, and that light smoke! This one may very well get me into trouble!

This is a unique blend that has a peaty scotch finish but not overly smokey. I love prayed scotches so this was in my wheelhouse. Chattanooga whiskey is killing it with their small batch series and I have loved everything they have put out.

Aroma- big peat and honey. Some cracked black pepper in the back, slight baking spices. Man… as this opens up.. it gets super complex… the smoke is still there but now I’m getting tropical notes and tons of caramel and vanilla. Very interesting Taste- Wow… extremely thin mouthfeel but extremely long scotch finish. There was nothing upfront… mid palate is sweet fruit, salted caramel, baking spices, cinnamon then the finish is all Smokey scotch slight heat from the alcohol as well. Feels a bit hotter than 95 proof. Overall- Not a huge fan of peated scotch, but this is honestly fantastic. It’s got just enough sweetness from the oak and vanilla in the bourbon (mixed in with some spices) and just enough smoke on the finish to make this a terrific marriage. Very unique and absolutely worth seeking out. Great for those who are interested in Scotch and great for those who are looking for something new. The 95 proof is a bit interesting… the thinness was to be expected at 95, but the heat on the finish seems like it would be north of 100.