This Week's Bourbon Edition - Jefferson's Flight

[SapperDawg]

I have been waiting on this tasting for two weeks. One of the first bottles obtained by my tasting group was a Jefferson's Very Small. Over the last two years, we have collected two additional bottles: Jefferson's Reserve and Jefferson's Ocean. If you are not familiar with these, the youngest release is Jefferson's Very Small and is also the base for the Ocean. There is no age statement on the bottle, but my reading suggests it is in the 5-8 year range. Ocean is the Very Small where the barrels are sent to sea on a barge for 5-10 months, and then bottled. Reserve is labeled as Very Old and Very Small. My reading indicates this is between 15-21 years old.

Roll call:



We started with the Very Small, then the Ocean, then the Reserve. We thought the Very Small had a bit more bite than the others, and had a tinge of fruitiness on the nose. It was less viscous on the palate, but a very good pour.

The Ocean: there was much debate on if we didn't know this was aged at sea, would it still taste the same? We found it to have a hint of sea-breeze on the nose, and a slight salty/briny taste. Lots of character here, and great drink.

The Reserve: Wow. Creamy coating of the mouth. Butterscotch nose. No bite, very smooth. This was the real deal as it had the taste and feel of an old whiskey.

We followed this with a taste of Ridgemont Reserve 1792, and we found it very close to the Very Small.

If you want to add these to your collection, here is how I would do it: The Reserve deserves a spot in your cabinet, period. If you have several older whiskeys and are looking for something with a different character, then the Ocean is your choice. Very Small is a versatile everyday drinker, that will not break the bank if you need to make cocktails.

[FlabLoser]

Thanks for that. I've seen The Reserve in stores many times. Now I'll have to pick some up.

[FlabLoser]

I concur on Jefferson Reserve. Real good stuff.

For $20 less, I'd rather have Four Roses Single Barrel. I really thing 4R badly under-priced that. Nothing comes close for the price.

But JR is now one of my favorite bourbons. Top 2-3. But now I've never had Pappy or anything super premium.

Folks at the store told me about that Ocean stuff. They said casks were loaded on the deck of a ship. They were exposed to weather. Maybe they were covered from rain, I'm not sure. Anyway, the hot & cold cycles made the wood expand & contract, taking in some salty sea air. The waves on the boat constantly churned the bourbon and moved it around against he wood. He said it was more woody than most bourbons and that tiny bit of salt accentuated the flavor. Wish I could try it. They didn't have any more.

[SapperDawg]

Flab,

Glad you liked it. I have recently gotten the 4R bug, and I have a Single Barrel cask strength that is 12 years old, and a regular Single Barrel not sure of the age, as well as the Small Batch. They are all great, but the spicy bite of the Small Batch is my favorite thus far.

[FISHDAWG]

try adding blueberries ... My wife has added blueberries to her glass of Chardonnay for a while now - so I tried it. fill your glass up about a quarter of the way with frozen blueberries then pour your bourbon over it. The frozen berries will chill it a little and throw in a twist to the flavor .... maybe not be for everyone or for the better bourbons but it works for me with Jim Beam