Old Man of the Mountain

Moth balls, sukfer, ew, sour

A genuine BiB bourbon from a small, NH distillery. First off I’m really happy that they went the BiB route with this and allowed it to mature appropriately rather than rushing to market with something younger. The extra years have, in their way, benefited this bourbon. Per the distillery this is comprised of 82.4% organic yellow corn, 11% organic rye, and 6.6% malted barley; using a sour mash fermentation, and aged for the standard four years in 53 gallon oak barrels. So this is tasty but ultimately not terribly complex. The nose on this is akin to semi-seasoned cordwood freshly cut with an axe. On the palette it’s dry and oaky as befitting the nose with some astringency but not off-puttingly so. It’s got a similar character to the 1792 single barrel that I tried with less refinement. It’s not the deepest sipper there is but I really enjoyed it in a Manhattan and OF. Personally, I don’t mind an oaky bourbon so this played well for me but I can see why some folks might be put off. If this had been younger I think it would’ve been much harsher and that astringent note that’s present would’ve dominated the palette. Again, kudos to Tamworth for giving this time to mature a bit further. It retails in NH for $55 which is more than its worth admittedly, but I’m a homer for local spirits and happy to support. Cheers.