David Nicholson 1843

I have been wanting to review this wonderful Bourbon for a while now but every time I went to write it something would distract me. So here were go. I really like this Bourbon and it is completely different from its mate David Nicholson Reserve. This is a "wheated" Bourbon that a nice smooth sweetness and softness. The nose is sweet vanilla and something else like sugar cookies maybe, but with ice, the flavors become very nice. It makes an excellent counter-point to the boldness of reserve that is smooth where the other is bold. This makes a very fine Old Fashioned and Manhattan but it is sweeter so take that into consideration. Around here this is $27 so it is an easy recommendation. Enjoy.

In honor of staying out of the rain and society, NO I AM NOT actively isolating myself from the huflue, just enjoying life, I've dusted off this bottle of David Nicholson setting on my shelf. It's a low dollar bottle so expectations are fairly low, this is a Luxco product and reputedly sourced from various distilleries, so as much as always YOUR mileage may vary. If you handed me a snifter of this my first inclination would be "oh this from Barton" it's a load of musty dusty barn wood with a faint hint of sweet honey and corn. On the nose, nothing wrong with it but nothing special either. Taking a taste I would say THIS IS Very Old Barton, one of the higher proof offerings and I would probably bet a good stack of dollar bills on it. Really nothing like Weller or Makers so these are NOT all a "wheated" mash and that suggestion is way off the mark. I would give this a strong corn with the average 25% of rye and barley. Another possibility would be a HH's Evan 1783 in this style of mash. So is that bad? No of course not, but it's not a "hidden gem" bottle either, you certainly wouldn't want to overpay for this juice. Adding a snit of water takes away some of the after burn and mellows it just a bit making it a nice 100 proof standard corn bourbon. In a few years, we'll see what the rebooted Lux Row distillery does with this, assuming they keep the label active, but right now in no way is this a "must try", I would say much more it's for the average curious enthusiast like myself, and of course those on a serious budget. At the worst a bottle of this will keep you warm on a cold night and help chase the flu bugs away! Cheers and be well!

Wheated Sweet apples ...

On the nose: I recommend letting this breath for a bit for the notes to really come through. Corn and some rich scents balancing between a vanilla or honey with a light oak following. Palette and finish: Immediately, very rich corn floods your mouth. Good mouth feel. The richness catches up to the intensity of the corn and is followed by the oak that is now more full. You feel the proof here, but the hotness is quite enjoyable with the rich corn notes.

Honestly surprised here. Did not like it on the nose, but the flavors really come through with more than you’d expect.