Triple Casks Drive Flavor in Whiskey Row Small Batch Bourbon
Significant fruit and spice come in on the palate. Golden raisin and grape fill the mouth alongside baking spice. Mouthfeel is rich, weighty and viscous. Every room-temp sip makes you want another and confirms that neat always is the way to go with this bourbon.
BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Distilled by Kentucky Artisan Distillery. Whiskey Row Distillers is the house brand for Kentucky Artisan Distillery.
- MASH BILL: Not stated, but at least 51% corn
- AGE: At least 4 years
- YEAR: 2025
- PROOF: 90 (45% ABV)
- MSRP: $49.99
- BUY ONLINE: Binny's Beverage Depot
STEVE'S NOTES
SHARE WITH: Any bourbon drinker looking for a clever and delicious lower-proof pour. The Cognac and sherry-cask finishing does wonders for the fruit-forwardness of this whiskey, making it great for sipping and a natural for food pairing.
WORTH THE PRICE: By all means. This is better than many less-flavorful, less-rich 90-proofers.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. You'll want to share it with others and tell them it came from a once-obscure, little contract distillery in Kentucky that's making its name with its excellent Whiskey Row line. FWIW, much of Jefferson's Bourbon's newer releases are made there.
OVERALL: I received this bottle last year, perhaps in the early summer, set up all my review basics (photo, distillery name, proof, etc.) and promptly forgot about it. I won't make excuses as to why I did, but I did. And I didn't think much about it until meeting the master distiller, Jade Peterson, at a Kentucky Artisan Distillery meet-and-greet in February. As we chatted, he poured me one of his four-grain pot distilled bourbons, and it dawned on me I'd overlooked this bottle. Nice guy that he is, he didn't mention that I'd had a bottle of his whiskey for about 8 months. Still, there was some inner cringing on my side of the table. So, the next day, I set out to catch up on this one, and I'm glad I did.
The nose begins as classic bourbon–caramel, dark fruits, oak–before revealing some toasted oak and spice characteristics. Eventually, cinnamon and green apple come along with a little leather in the background. Pleasant, but no big wow aromas.
Where significant fruit and spice come is on the palate. Golden raisin and grape (from Cognac and PX sherry casks) fill the mouth alongside baking spice. Mouthfeel is rich, weighty and viscous, perfect at 90 proof. It finishes with lingering spice, toasted oak, caramel and some cinnamon red hots. Every room-temp sip makes you want another and confirms that neat always is the way to go with this bourbon. This is bottled proof that sometimes, simpler is better.
As I've written seemingly a lot lately, I'm in a phase of appreciation for lower-proof whiskies. This came along at the right time to affirm that. Not every bottle I receive matriculates from my office shelves to my condo bar, where family and friends can have at it. But this one will, and I expect many will like it as much as I do.
BRAND NOTES
Whiskey Row Bourbon’s core expression is a straight bourbon made from corn, rye, and malted barley, aged for at least four years. Triple Wood develops depth and richness through its finishing process in Cognac and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks. The Cognac casks enhance fruit and spice notes, while the PX Sherry casks add sweetness and dried fruit flavors.
NOSE: The aroma is inviting and complex, presenting an engaging blend of vanilla and fresh waxy honey. The influence of the Cognac wood is present, but the nose is bourbon-forward with slight hints of dried fruits and citrus.
PALATE: On the initial sip, a deviation from the nose, it unfolds with a rush of heavy brown sugar, immediately followed by vibrant citrus and stone fruit flavors. Sweet notes are complemented by the depth of the wood aging. As the whiskey develops on the palate, layers of flavor emerge.
BALANCE: A well-balanced profile with sweet, rich flavors complemented by the subtle depth of oak, Cognac, and PX Sherry wood.
FINISH: The finish is long and satisfying, with flavors of red fruits and light herbal notes trailing off softly. The Cognac influence lingers delicately.
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.