Generously_Paul
Amador Double Barrel Bourbon Finished in Napa Valley Wine Barrels
Bourbon — Kentucky (Finished and Bottled in California), USA
Reviewed
October 24, 2018 (edited October 26, 2018)
I found this bourbon on the shelves of my local Kroger and thought I’d give it a shot. Amador Double Barrel is a sourced Kentucky bourbon consisting of barrels aged between 3 and 10 years old that are then finished for 6 months in Napa Valley wine barrels of an undisclosed variety. Bottled at 43.4% ABV, what I assume is a natural color of orange amber and is probably chill filtered.
The nose has strong corn notes and some alcohol up front. Heavily charred oak and red wine notes that seem to fade in and out. Vanilla, blackberries, red grapes, cinnamon apples. Some typical toffee/caramel notes, stale marshmallows and brown sugar. A slight bubblegum note and some very light florals, lavender maybe. After a while a strong peanut aroma takes over. A fairly weak nose other than the oak and peanuts.
The palate mimics the nose almost completely. Corn, charred oak and alcohol. Grapes, apple skins, vanilla and red wine. A bit of spice, nothing over the top but just enough to be enjoyable. Cinnamon, clove, a touch harsh though. Peanuts and peanut brittle.
A medium bodied mouthfeel that is a bit watery, mouth coating and dry.
The finish is medium length with corn, oak, peanuts, grapes and is dry.
I have to say that for a $45 bourbon I was expecting much more. The wine influence is minimal and the bourbon is mediocre. It’s easy drinking but for that kind of money I want more complexity in my bourbons. The peanut note took me a while to figure out, but once I did that was all I could focus on and it became distracting. I’d pass on this one again. 3.25
Cheers
45.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@PBMichiganWolverine Delaware Costco’s sell liquor. One of these days I’ll try the Kirkland brand single malt - or not
@Richard-ModernDrinking oh that’s good to know. I normally go to the Bridgewater Costco, but Willowbrook is only 30 min from me. There’s Trader Joe’s in Westfield that has it too, but quite limited in choices
@PBMichiganWolverine Some NJ Costcos have booze. The selection at Willowbrook is very good.
@BDanner - yeah, they started opening up on Sundays a couple of years ago, with limited hours I believe (like noon-6pm IIRC)
@LeeEvolved I was visiting my mother in VA (I'm in NC) and was surprised by the selection of their small town store compared to my local ABC. Plus, I think I'm correct in saying that VA ABC's are open on Sundays??
I've seen this one a few times and have pondered a purchase. Thanks for saving me $45.
@LeeEvolved and meanwhile in the UK, you can buy / sell whisky on Amazon!!
@PBMichiganWolverine - all these different liquor laws are mostly ridiculous. I was just at my dad’s house in WV and I could’ve bought whisky at a local pharmacy (talk about curing what ails you, lol). Here in Virginia I have one choice- the state run stores. They all have the exact same price and mostly the same selection. Every once in a blue moon I can burn them when they don’t realize what they have, but they’ve gotten a lot smarter the last year or so. No deals to really be had. Thankfully, I can still buy and ship into the state. If they ever block that I’ll be reduced to drinking Fireball or Jim Beam Honey...
@PBMichiganWolverine that sucks. Most Krogers here don’t have a liquor license but a couple around me do. All Costcos do. The Costco selection isn’t anything to marvel at as far as whisky goes, they do have a lot of wine though.
Stupid NJ laws...no spirits or wine in Kroger or Costco