Grass Widow Bourbon

The flagship of Detroit's Two James Distillery--a place that's totally worth checking out if you're ever in Detroit. What you've got here is high-rye LDI bourbon finished in madiera wine casks (a holdover until their own spirit comes of age; they've already got some young experiments on the market). What I like here is that it's not *just* another sourced whiskey; they're at least doing something a bit different with the red wine finish. Nose is recognizably LDI (think TinCup), but there's some nice winey nuttiness here; a bit of plum, fruit, syrup. Candied nuts? Baking spice and mulled wine. Some spirity ethanol. A bit thin in the mouth; first taste is a bit green, with that LDI nuttiness (similar to, but distinct from, Beam yeast nuttiness), but then there's that vinous sweetness, some red fruits, and solid rye spice. Finish is a bit chewy, with some fresh oak, dryness. The price on this one is high ($59.99 at the distillery), and the spirit feels a bit young--but the fundamentals are sound, and this is one I'm prepared to endorse (however tentatively) for the sake of supporting a really good local distillery in one of my favourite cities in the world. The 10-year reserve or the Cask Strength limited edition are certainly also worth investigating, though the price on them is . . . prohibitive.

A little pain to ease a lot of pain.

The best I've had in my limited experience (I'm 45 but just finding my tastes for whiskey over wine). I can't justify the price however I have no doubt it is worth it.