This is Jefferson’s replacement to the Groth Cask Reserve. I love that one. It’s one of the better bourbons I’ve had and one of the great bourbon-wine cask marriages of all-time. Let’s see how this stacks up. This is from Batch A-450. Bottle Number 43. Nose: Red grape, newspaper, and cola. Gala apple. Date, fig, raisin, and cranberry. Watermelon Jolly Rancher. Nougat. Wintergreen. Cocoa, black tea, and black pepper. Toasted oak. Palate: Red grape, newspaper, and cranberry. Dried apricot. Honeydew. Wintergreen. Date, fig, and raisin. Vanilla, caramel, milk chocolate, and nougat. Almond and walnut. Finish: Cola, cranberry, raisin, fig, and date. Red grape. Wintergreen. Gala apple, dried apricot, and newspaper. Cinnamon, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Medium length. This is a solid bourbon. Jefferson’s clearly has a great ability to select compatible wine casks for their spirits. On sale for $53 (down from $65), this is a solid value to boot. A lot to like here. Now, to answer the obvious question. How does this fair against the Groth Cask Reserve? While this is a damn fine whiskey in its own right, it doesn’t quite reach the level of the Groth, the Pritchard Hill is worthy of praise for what it does. It’s an interesting bottling for sure. It shares a lot of the better qualities and notes of the Groth cask. Given the option, I’d go for the latter, but as a replacement, this does a damn fine job. 4.25/5.