Review #127: Savage & Cooke Second Glance

Review #127: Savage & Cooke Second Glance (American Whiskey Triple Finished)

COST: $35 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

AGE: 5 yrs

MASH BILL: 95% corn, 5% malted barley

PROOF: 88

‘Second Glance’ is a Kentucky corn whiskey where each barrel is aged for a minimum of 5 years in ex-bourbon barrels. The whiskey for each batch is then finished in 3 different wine barrels from Dave Phinney’s Napa Valley Zinfandel project: 52% in Grenache, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Zinfandel. The triple finishing intrigued me initially, but at 88 proof, is it going to matter? Let’s find out!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: A golden color (0.8), thin, fast legs, and thin looking.

NOSE: It’s a pleasant sweetness. But it’s extremely difficult to pick out specific notes. There’s a sort of sweet wine aspect to it, sweet corn, and maybe a very light honey or caramel note. The sweet corn note is faint enough that I’m not 100% certain I would pick it out as a whiskey in a blind versus say a barrel aged rum or another spirit.

PALATE: On the palate, it’s easier to tell it’s a whiskey, but again, the notes are so poorly defined that it’s hard to pick out anything specific. It’s a little less sweet than on the nose, but still has a bright sweetness to it. It’s kind of a fruity sweetness like maybe white grapes and green apple. I do get a little spice before going into the finish.

FINISH: The finish is mildly tannic. There’s again just a general sweetness that’s hard to put my finger on. There’s a surprising ethanol bite with this being only 88 proof. I get more red wine notes in the finish than I did on the nose or palate.

RATING: 3.8/10

VALUE: 5.0/10 (This takes into account price, overall rating, age, and proof. See my spreadsheet for more details.)

OVERALL: There is just not a lot of anything going on here. Based on the other Savage and Cooke whiskey’s I tried, and knowing that this was a 5 year age stated whiskey, I figured it would not have an issue showing it’s own character. But in the end, this is just way underflavored. It’s generally sweet, but too hard to even tell what type of whiskey it is. Additionally, while I can pick up on some cask finishing notes, I don’t think I’d be able to do that in a blind. This whiskey needs a good bit a of help in boosting all the notes to give it character.

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | Balcones Lineage

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Eagle Rare

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08