Review #190: Rare Character SiB (T8ke Pick): Barrel B-06 – Bourbon Finished in Sauternes Cask

MASH BILL: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley (MGP distillate)

AGE: 8 yr 5 mo aged bourbon and finished for nearly 2.5 additional years in a Sauternes cask

PROOF: 118.98

COST: $130 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

Let’s take another turn at trying a Sauternes cask finish (I do it for the punz). The couple of Sauternes cask finished bourbons that I have had in the past haven’t resonated with me well. I figured I would try one more before I decide they just doesn’t turn me on. I’ve not had a bad r/bourbon pick to date. So, I decided we’d give a r/bourbon Sauternes finish a turn and see if this one can turn around my opinion of Sauternes finished bourbon.

This is from barrel #B-09. Reviewed neat in a Glencairn (unless otherwise noted in parenthesis).

APPEARANCE: Dark AF (that’s a color, right?) (1.9); very thick and syrupy looking.

NOSE: It took a little longer than normal to rest and get the ethanol notes off, nearly 30 minutes. But once the coast was clear, the notes I got were quite nice! Lots of barrel character: spicy oak, dark tobacco, butter toffee with a maple syrup drizzle, black pepper, and dark chocolate. With a swirl of the glass, I get a good bit more sweetness with that maple syrup note becoming more distinct, cherry vanilla ice cream, and caramelized brown sugar. (With a splash of water, it completely cut the ethanol out and I was able to get to it much quicker. I get a little orange peel and berry note on the nose that I wasn’t getting without water. The toffee note is much stronger as well, but spice and wood notes have fallen off substantially.)

PALATE: A moderately thick mouthfeel with a fairly astringent sensation. Old oak and blackberry jam start things off. Molasses, heavy black pepper, and brown butter creep in. Toasted, almost burnt, vanilla bean and caramelized sugar take front stage before going into the finish. (With a splash of water this has a significantly more buttery mouthfeel. Flavor wise, it’s  more of the same though, but creamier overall. I would say the vanilla and caramelized sugar stand out a tad more and I get a hint of blackberry.)

FINISH: A medium to long finish and with a tannic dryness. That burnt vanilla note transitions over from the palate well and tobacco notes start to show back up. A peppery, rye bread note and blackberry reduction appear late in the finish. Black pepper numbness outlasts all other notes. (With a splash of water, it tamps down some of the tannic notes. A brown butter note is rather prominent now, too. Blackberry, black pepper, and aged oak provide a nice mix of sweet, spice, and earth. I really like the finish with a splash of water.)

RATING: 7.4/10

OVERALL: This is the best Sauternes finish I’ve had! It has a ton of barrel character but was a little hot and tannic for me overall. But it was complex and had some sweetness buried in it which got it some extra credit from me. I just wish some of those sweeter notes could shine through a little more. The color really matched the tasting notes for this one. I think Sauternes finished bourbon just isn’t for me though because I find it to be too tannic and dry and doesn’t allow sweeter notes to shine through. All that that said, a 7.4 overall is still nothing to scoff at and totally respectable from me, but it’s more of just what the actual profile was (tannic and bitter) that doesn’t jive with my palate.

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, Hillrock Estate Sauternes CS

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

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

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, BBCo Origin High Wheat, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, Maker's Mark Wood Finishing releases, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Woodford Reserve Batch Proof 121.2, BBCo Disco #7 and #13, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08, RR15