Fruit for Days: Masterful cask selection, blending highlight Blue Note Special Reserve Bourbon

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Unnamed Kentucky distiller and Tennessee distillers, but blended and bottled by B.R. Distilling.
• MASH BILL: A blend of nine straight bourbon whiskies whose three mash bills are 84% Corn | 8% Rye | 8 Malted Barley (Tennessee); 70 Corn| 21% Rye | 9% Malted Barley (Kentucky); and 70% Corn | 22% Rye |8% Malted Barley (Tennessee)
• AGE: At least 5 years, though bourbons as old as 19 years are in the blend
• YEAR: 2026
• PROOF: 119.9 (59.5% ABV)
• MSRP: $149.99
• BUY ONLINE: Blue Note Bottle Shop

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any fan of deeply dark and darn-near brooding American whiskies. Yes, you guessed correctly, that means secondary casks are involved here and to terrific effect. If you like those, this is really for you.

WORTH THE PRICE: $150 is a lot for bottle, especially without the provenance of a big and old distillery name. But as little dogs seemingly have no fear of big dogs, Jack Russell-sized producers have shown little no reluctance to pricing their products like their Mastiff-sized peers. Paying that price is up to the buyer, of course, but if a buyer of this bottle is anything less than thrilled with the liquid within this bottle, find me and we'll work out a trade for the remainder.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Given the price, get it at a bar if you can find it. But were it me and I'd discovered this at a bar, I'd soon be on the hunt for a full serving.

OVERALL: You may have noticed in the SHARE WITH heading above that I referred to "casks," and by that I didn't mean many barrels of a single type. In this case I mean nine (9) unique used casks to create this magnificent blend of three different whiskey mash bills ranging in age from 19 to 5 years. Check out the stats on these components listed by cask, age, U.S. state and corn, rye and barley contributions.

Cognac: 3% | Age: 19 | Origin: TN | Mash Bill: 84/8/8
Madeira: 2% | Age:  5 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9
Sherry: 3% | Age: 12 | Origin: TN | Mash Bill: 70/22/8
Port: 3% | Age:  11 | Origin: TN | Mash Bill: 84/8/8
Vino De Naranja: 41% | Age:  7 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9
Vanilla Cognac: 15% | Age:  5 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9
Apricot Brandy: 11% | Age:  5 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9
Cognac: 12% | Age:  7 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9
Winter Bock: 10% | Age:  5 | Origin: KY | Mash Bill: 70/21/9

And for those producers who keep their whiskey stats close to the vest, just know that nerds love and respect this level of detail. Quit being so preciously private already! It's not like we or any other distiller will attempt to duplicate it.

Whether this is a Blue Note blender's nightmare or dream task, I don't know. But those who get to sip it will thank you–and may even kiss you–for creating it. It is special and spectacular, which justifies that $150 price tag.

On the nose, the array of aromas tell endless stories of those casks. The vino de naranja cask leads with that classic orange Dreamsicle note, followed by the cognac and apricot brandy cask notes. These aren't just fruit bombs, these are fruit cluster bombs: olfactory munitions that keep detonating with every pass at the glass.

Vanilla cognac keeps everything sweet and complex, and its 119 proof pecks at the nostrils. Approach a glass of this with care or, as we teach in DrinkCurious presentations, use retro-nasal inhalation (place the glass an inch below the nose and inhale through your mouth) to buffer the sting a little.

On the palate, it's spicy and medium weight and coating. This is where the quality of those whiskies really shines and, of course, the blender's talent as well. It's one thing to say, "Let's do all these crazy fruit spirit casks!" but it's another thing entirely to get quality casks that still bear their original spirits' essence.

At 41% of the whole blend, it's not surprising that the vino de naranja is prominent, but even at 3% and 12%, the ripe grape notes from its cognac casks is vivid. I wish I could say affirmatively that I can taste that bock cask's influence, but it's likely just some unidentifiable semi-bitter and yeasty note that knits this whole together. Same for the madeira and port influences, which sing some back-up but essential harmonies that amateurs like me can't detect.

It's barely drying and only gently warming on the finish, and the uber-complex fruit components linger for days. This whiskey is completely in my wheelhouse: fruit for days that's buttressed by ideal wood balance.

BRAND NOTES

NOSE: Opens with light molasses layered over dry cedar and a gentle clove spice.

PALATE: It’s rich and savory, led by cedar and warming spice, unfolding into dried apricot, allspice, peanut, and vanilla.

FINISH: Soft comforting finish that lingers warmly near the sternum.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.