The Belle Meade Bourbon Craftsman Cask Collection is a series of unique, almost experimental, cask-finished Bourbons done in extremely limited quantities with most being only a single barrel’s worth of spirit.Belle Meade BourbonClick to explore our complete library of reviews to help you choose your next perfect bottle.
Belle Meade Bourbon Craftsman Cask Collection: Mourvedre Cask Finish
- DISTILLER: Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery
- MASH BILL: MGP’s 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malt
- AGE: 10 years plus 148 days finishing in Mourvedre wine cask
- YEAR: 2018
- PROOF: 117.8 (58.9% ABV)
- MSRP: $150 (available at distillery only)
TASTE: Leads with grapey-fruity notes from Mourvedre followed immediately by oak | classic bourbon notes bloom and take over at midpalate | toffee, caramel, dried fruit, demerara, loads going on here
FINISH: Long, warm, soothing and barely dry | easy sipping despite high proof
SHARE WITH: Any fan of brown spirits
WORTH THE PRICE: My 100ml bottle was a press sample that, believe it or not, was more than enough to sell me on the $150 bottle.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle certainly. Sadly, with such a limited 288-bottle release, you may never see it at a bar.
OVERALL: : I was wowed by the Belle Meade Cognac cask finish bourbon released two years ago, but this exceeds that. When too many distilleries are using cask finishing to cover up flaws in subpar source material, Andy and Charlie Nelson are demonstrating their ample talents for using well-aged liquid and amplifying it with cask finishing. I’m not the usual $150 bottle buyer, but I’d wait in line for this bourbon if I could. Problem is, it’s only available at the Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery in Nashville. Buyers are limited to one bottle, but if someone could get two, drink one now and save the other, do it. This is too exciting a whiskey to shelve, but it’s also a whiskey to be saved for celebrations.
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Disclaimer: Belle Meade Bourbon provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.
Steve Coomes is editor of BourbonBanter.com. A Louisville restaurant industry veteran turned award-winning food writer, he has edited and written for dozens of national trade and consumer publications including Pizza Today, Nation's Restaurant News and Southern Living over his 31-year journalism career. As a spirits writer, Steve's work can be found in Bourbon Plus, Bourbon Review, Bourbon & Banter, WhiskeyWash.com and other publications. In 2014, he authored the book, "Country Ham: A Southern Tradition of Hogs, Salt & Smoke," and has authored other titles as a private ghostwriter.
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Your mashbill adds up to well over 100%. Is there a mistake? And does this really come from Wyoming?
We’re busted. Thanks for pointing out our typo. Thus are the perils of posting while drinking. Cheers!
What better way to write about whiskey?
Hi I visited belle Meade 3yrs ago from Portugal beautiful place I was just wondering if there was anyway I could buy a bottle of your whiskey? Thanks