Isaac Bowman Straight Bourbon Finished in Port Barrels

Very similar to Angels Envy except it has a little more bite and heat. Less refined.

This is in the port-finish/other-finish division of my finished bourbon bracket. Quick recap of the sherry-finished blind taste tests so far: Joseph Magnus vs Noble Oak: Joseph Magnus won. Wild Turkey Revival vs Rabbit Hole: WT Revival won. Joseph Magnus vs WT Revival: WT Revival won. This next round is the two that inspired this whole event: Isaac Bowman vs Angel’s Envy. After that is Amador Double Barrel vs Jefferson’s Grand Selection, followed by Jefferson’s old rum cask vs Beer Barrel Bourbon. Did I mention that this is for science? So off the bat... I like both of these whiskies. This was the most effective blind taste test to date. I wasn’t 100% sure which was which until I flipped over the cup. I was correct, but it was close. I came in with a believed preference toward Isaac Bowman, and good ol Isaac persevered here. The nose: Watermelon and sangria. Next to Angel’s Envy, the deep red fruit scents are amplified. The body: Sangria, and for the first time (back to back with AE), I get orange. Like a delicious sweet orange flavor. Body also packs more heat when compared, but I don’t mind. The finish: Sangria flavor trails off, with a bit of almond. The almond is new to me, brought out by the AE. It’s encouraging to me that Isaac won. By popularity, a bit of an underdog. By cost, it’s cheaper (first time doll hairs =/= value in this bracket). At the risk of sounding hypocritical, (because I just mentioned how Revival beat Magnus because I preferred a subtler sherry influence), when it comes to port, it turns out more influence is better for me. I feel like the underlying bourbon of AE may be higher quality than that of IB, based on tastes theoretically not affiliated with the port finish. But damn... that sangria flavor. The sweet orange. This little guy may be in the conversation for the most underrated bourbon of our time, IMO. Can’t wait to see what the next competitor brings out of it in the next round.

It’s good, but for $10 more I’ll stick to Angel’s Envy for my port finished bourbons.