Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1 Bottle. Image credit: Mashngrain.com.
It’s no secret I love the art of blending. It’s no longer a four-letter word in the American whiskey world, and some truly excellent blends have been created in recent years. Even among more serial ones, the ability to blend multiple distilleries into a cohesive product is incredible. And the overall skill of the industry is only increasing.
Most of those blends, though - think Barrell, for instance, or the recent Milam & Greene Unabridged Volume 1 - come from people in the whiskey industry and/or longtime reviewers with decades of experience. It’s an art, but also a skill, built upon years of tasting and trying.
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1 comes from a different angle: the reviewer/influencer angle. Devin Ershow and Chase Langdon are lifelong friends who decided to write about the whiskey they were tasting. Now, many of us who write reviews started this way - you taste a lot of whiskies and want to share your thoughts with the world. Hell, that’s why Reddit still exists.
Devin and Chase, though, wanted to write differently. There aren’t hundreds of reviews on MashnGrain.com - instead, there are a few dozen, focusing not on the single products but on the distilleries and producers themselves. The deep dives they do are often a source for my own research for Whiskey Ring Podcast episodes.
Coincidentally, my last episode before they came on the Podcast for Episode 64 was Whiskey Del Bac - with that, I had interviewed and tried al four distilleries that went into the Borrowed Page blend:
34% Watershed Distillery Straight Bourbon: 72% Corn, 21% Rye, 7% Malted Barley (WRP Episode 39):
32% Wigle Whiskey Pennsylvania Straight Rye: 70% Rye, 17% Wheat, 13% Malted Barley (WRP Episode 18):
24% Spirits of French Lick Lee Sinclair Bourbon: 60% Corn, 17% Wheat, 13% Oats, 10% Malted Barley (WRP Episode 5 and Episode 44):
10% Whiskey Del Bac Mesquite Smoked Single Malt: Blend of 25% Mesquite Smoked Single Malt and 75% Classic Single Malt (WRP Episode 63):
According to the guys, Alan Bishop at Spirits of French Lick sent them the most samples (surprise, surprise), and the one they went with was a little different. It is a Lee Sinclair barrel, but it’s one that had some port finishing, adding a light but fruity dimension to the final blend. They requested samples from Whiskey Del Bac at varying mesquited levels, finally going with the percentages above.
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1: Specs
Classification: American Whiskey
Origin: American Mash & Grain
Mashbill: See Above
Proof: 116.88 (58.44% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Arizona
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1 Price: $75
Borrowed Page American Whiskey Volume #1 Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark amber. Medium oily rims and quick running drops.
Nose: Warming, fall scent. Dark fruit-led bourbon comes through first, freshly cut tobacco that evolves into a rolled cigar with red vinous elements. Reminds me strongly of the Yellowstone Family Recipe Edition.
Palate: The proof heat is joined by the tobacco, fresh cherries, red spice drops, and a general roasted nut note. Drying and quite tannic, this drinks heavy and below proof. Cherries in chocolate. Mouthfeel is syrupy and chewable, lots of texture on the tongue and the sides. Barest hint of mesquite livens the pour’s end.
Finish: Long, leathery, toasted honey and dark red fruit jam. Settling under the tongue heavily like a wine-finished cigar (if those exist).
Overall: Wow - this blend is excellent, made more so by it being the first go-round. Having tasted all the components (except the port-finished Lee Sinclair - only tried the original of that), each have their place and time to shine, with the blend being greater than the sum of the parts.
Final Rating: 7.8
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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