This is the red wine finished division of my barrel finished bourbon bracket. This was a blind taste test between Jefferson’s Pritchard Hill and Bardstown Phifer Pavitt. No spellchecking devices were harmed in the making of this review. This was a slaughter. A truly unfair fight. Like Norte Dame v Alabama in a college football championship. Bardstown blew away Jefferson’s in every conceivable category, but unlike Norte Dame football, this wasn’t because Jefferson’s was bad. Bardstown was just truly exceptional. If it doesn’t win overall, I’ll be exceedingly surprised. Bardstown moves on against the winner of Slaughterhouse vs Hooker’s House. And yes, I am quite proud of that dictionally pleasing pairing. I’m literally flexing in my kitchen right now. The tasting of Jefferson’s: After trying the rum and Sauternes finished Jefferson’s reserve variations, I felt confident coming in that the red wine influence in this little guy would be an afterthought, if even detectable. The flavor profile for Jefferson’s reserve is just so damn opinionated, that it would take a lot to overpower it, right? Wrong. The nose is Jeffersonian to be sure. I get grape jelly, red pit fruits, and gummy bears. There is a noticeable difference to this nose however. I’d say someone took the dials on those scents and recalibrated. Synthetic sweetness via gummy bear was toned down, and natural sweetness via cherries and grapes turned up. I very much prefer this nose to that of Jefferson’s Reserve. Body is a bit of a letdown. I was hoping to get a noticeable shift here too, but I couldn’t detect it. If you like Jefferson’s Reserve, you’ll like this body. Overall impression is grape jelly and gummy bears. The finish did not disappoint! The overtly sweet body is completely removed on the first exhale. The dryness from the red wine influence is very noticeable, and I genuinely love it. Unmistakeable Cabernet flavor as well. Delicious. This is my favorite Jefferson’s product to date. Any complaints I have about Jefferson’s Reserve’s flavor profile is toned down, replaced with an influence from red wine which I find genuinely enjoyable. I may not have any Jefferson’s on my shelf in the distant future, but if I do, I’d bet a pinky toe that it’d be this one.