Cleveland Bourbon

Recommendation: Unmemorable I tried this at Independence Ice Co, neat.

So the bottle brags: “We don’t wait for it to slowly age in a warehouse, leaving the art to chance, the craft to fate.” They continue to say that they use science to not only make “quality whiskey faster- but better.” So out the gate, I dislike this distillery based on their philosophy. And I mean a lot. All the feelings. On to the flavors. Nose has zero astringency, and little to no smell. I find this surprising for a 100 proofer. Nose is faint and floral. Body and finish is s single shot of flavor. I get butter and sugar, no change. Very similar to white dog, if you’ve had it. Mouth feel is very tame— too tame for my tastes. Buttery feel, little heat. The lack of complexity in this bourbon is apparent. Sorry science. For value: I have mixed feelings here. As I said, I am against this distillery’s philosophy. I have lots of love for the distilleries that do it the traditional way. Now I get it, they’ve won some innovation award in Berlin or whatever. But the lack of complexity makes this whiskey conspicuously young. The “Pressure Aging” technique has not overcome that. That said, the label says: “Aged a minimum of one (1) month.” That color in that time frame... I can’t help but be somewhat impressed. And it’s only $26. So for flavor, are there other $26+ bottles on my shelf that I prefer this to? Yes. Will I ever buy another one? Unless something changes, no. Give me Buffalo Trace, done the traditional way, same price, more complexity. I’ll take that any day. Speaking of BT, one last thought: a great deal of the cost of the bottle of bourbon comes from the fact that the US government taxes the living hell out of it. AND although all bourbon is subject to the regional rates per gallon, there is a tax for aging, applied yearly. Combine that with the fact that aging reduces the quantity in the barrel, and it’s pretty easy to see why older bourbons should cost more. I include this rant here to point out to everyone that this 1 month aged whiskey costs the same on shelf as a 7-9yr aged Buffalo Trace. Personally, I would like the Cleveland distillery to tell me why.

terrible finish has a soap taste. do not buy

Smoky, Sweet