Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Moscatel Casks
One of my favorite summer cocktails is a Bee’s Knees. Made with gin, honey, and lemon, it’s refreshing and mildly herbal. The best part? adding a bourbon floater, a half-pour of bourbon that lies on top of the cocktail like a blanket.
Moscatel is also a fun floater, though oddly it’s a bit stronger as a floater than the bourbon (maybe that’s just me!). So when Doc Swinson’s put out a Moscatel-finished bourbon, you know I was interested.
Moscatel wine is made from the muscat grape, the same used to make Moscato and Muscat wine. The grapes are sometimes harvested fresh, sometimes left to raisin (shrivel) on the vine, but the other processes are the same. The musts are fermented for up to three months, then alcohol - usually grape brandy of some kind - is added to stop fermentation and strengthen the wine.
If the grapes are fresh, the wine remains fairly clear, only gaining color from the cask and perhaps some from the skins. When raisined, the resulting liquid can get to a beautiful, golden-brown, like a toasted nut or dark honey (technically in the latter situation, it’s called a Moscatel de Pasas, but not all producers make that distinction). Moscatel is then aged for at least 18 months in oak, with the majority sold between 2-5 years old. Between the initial spirit and the oak aging, the final product ranges from golden to mahogany. It’s sweet enough to pair with dessert, but not so sweet it couldn’t be a fitting aperitif wine, either.
So what happens when you pair it with bourbon? After all, bourbon is already sweet and can be fruity, so will the Moscatel overtake the bourbon or play nicely in the sandbox?
Kind of both, to be honest. The bourbon isn’t lost, that’s for sure, though the overall concoction does lean sweet. What helps balance things out is a component I usually shy away from: the oak.
The oak - peppery, creamy, astringent, and a tiny bit woody - holds this back from turning into a dessert bourbon. While elements are syrupy and heavy and individually sweet, that oak backbone coats the tongue in a drying lacquer that lets some of that sweetness roll off before it can settle.
It’s an interesting mid-point between the other two finished bourbons Doc Swinson’s provided for this series, the Pineau des Charentes and the Tawny Port. The Pineau is a stronger flavor, and the Port has more complexity. The Moscatel is right between them, sweet, moderately complex, and oaky.
Thank you to Doc Swinson’s for providing this sample for review purposes without restriction.
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Moscatel Casks: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Finished
Origin: MGP, Doc Swinson’s
Mashbill: Blend of MGP Bourbon Mashbills
Proof: 114.1 (57.05% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Distilled and Aged in Indiana, Finished in California
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Moscatel Casks Price: $84.99
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Moscatel Casks Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Toasted honey. Thin-medium rims, legs drip straight.
Nose: Much more subtle than the Pineau des Charentes finish, soft white wine. The bourbon is elevated but not concealed, fresh cornbread and apple jelly. New oak lends body in the back of my nose.
Palate: Syrupy feeling as soon as it hits my tongue. Oak on the front palate growing stronger in the back of my throat and moving forward from there. Settles under my tongue and along the sides of my mouth. Golden apples and wine-soaked sultanas. Peppery spice builds on a medium-full and super-coating mouthfeel. White grape jelly.
Finish: Oaky, lots of bright yellow fruits on a long, long finish. Syrupy and still quite coating. Bourbon floater on a Bee’s Knees cocktail.
Overall: Doesn’t dominate the bourbon the same way the Pineau did. Sweet, builds a strong oak backbone along the way.
Final Rating: 6.8
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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