Jefferson's Reserve Very Old Bourbon

Butterscotch and maybe a little apple on the nose. Very smooth on the taste with a full body and hints of vanilla. Has a few hints of tobacco on the finish followed by a warm, spicy notes.

I’m a fan of Jefferson’s. They do some interesting bottlings. They could possibly be overrated—I try to ignore the hype and not let that cloud my enjoyment of a brand. If it’s good, I like it. I’ve really enjoyed some of their experimental expressions. They flagship bottle is a decent entry point into the lineup. Yet, I somehow missed this one—the second tier offering. Without further ado, here’s my review of one of Jefferson’s cornerstone pieces. Nose: Caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Toffee and butterscotch. Vanilla frosting. Raisin. Cola and Gala apple. Cocoa. Sawdust, dusty corn, black pepper, oak, clove, and nutmeg. Palate: Gala apple, vanilla, and toffee. Caramel and brown sugar. Butterscotch. Cocoa. Blacl tea and tobacco. Raisin. A touch of leather. Sawdust. More of the dusty corn. Oak. Finish: Vanilla, caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Black tea and peppercorn. Cocoa, tobacco, and cinnamon. Sawdust and dusty corn. Black pepper and oak. Clove and nutmeg. Medium-length finish. This is not a bad whiskey by any means. It’s pleasant and clearly of a quality bottling. It’d be a great bourbon to use to get a new drinker into the genre. But it also fails to stoke the imagination of a more experienced drinker—and that’s my main critique here. At $48 (on sale from down $54) I’d say this is worth the price of entry, albeit barely. I fluctuated from a score of 3.0 and 3.75. And tasted this back-to-back days and have settled on a score of 3.5. Because the price of bourbon (and whiskey as a whole) has increased rather drastically in the past couple years, I’m not going to be too harsh on this one for VFM. It’s a solid spirit, but could definitely benefit from a couple more years in the cask to earn it’s “Very Old moniker. It would easily be a 4 star dram, but it’s solid as it is now.

I longer taste than a basil Hayden but I don’t love the taste. I can tell it’s high quality, just not my cup of tea. Would drink again if bored or need a change