Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks
Most of the time when I do these write-ups, I at least try to write some background info before getting to the rating. Once in a while, though, a pour comes down that’s so good I tell you up front and spare you the expense.
This is the best finish and pairing Doc Swinson’s has done yet.
Tawny Port is, in many ways, the whiskey of port. It can handle decades in oak, gives off familiar tones of leather, dark fruit, oak spice, and caramel. Unlike Ruby Port, which might be aged for a time in oak but are usually bottled while still relatively young, Tawny is aged in oak for as long as the producer wants.
Tawny Port falls into the broader fortified wine category, though towards the far end of the sweetness spectrum. The bottles are usually at around 19-20% ABV, and have huge amounts of residual sugar. The serving size is smaller than typical wine, around 3oz rather than 5-6 ounces per pour.
It’s objectively sweeter than either the Pineau des Charentes or Moscatel wines used in Doc Swinson’s other bourbon finishes in this set, so why is it such a good pairing? Like the Pineau and Moscatel, grapes are harvested and pressed, allowed to ferment for a short period, then have grape spirit added to halt fermentation and leave residual sugar.
The three wine types also share official demarcations and protections for labeling, linking production method and style to the place. the Douro Valley, where Port is made, is the third oldest protected region in the world after Chianti and Tokaj, having been established in 1756. So, why the difference?
I really do think it comes back to two "O”s: oak and oxygen.
Oak should be no stranger to you whiskey drinkers, as it provides anywhere from 50-80% of a whiskey’s flavor (seriously, ask around - the range people give is bananas). Tawny Port isn’t usually aged in new oak like bourbon, but rather in Spanish oak or used oak. Port pipes can reach 700 liters in size and are designed to have very little (or, if you look at it another way, very slow) oak contact and plenty of surface area for oxidization. Oxidization is what gives nutty flavors as well as slight dryness and a more viscous mouthfeel due to evaporation.
So, between oak and oxidation, the Tawny Port can be sweet, syrupy, nutty, astringent, and overall incredibly complex. It’s that complexity that makes this pairing so good. Each of these characteristics, on their own, might overpower the bourbon or pair insufficiently, but with all four the whole becomes greater than the sum.
If there are two bottles I’m getting from these releases, it’s this one and the Tres Amigos finished rye. It’s not even a question which one holds priority.
Thank you to Doc Swinson’s for providing this sample for review purposes without restriction.
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Finished
Origin: MGP, Doc Swinson’s
Mashbill: Blend of MGP Bourbon Mashbills
Proof: 114.2 (57.1% ABV)
Age: NAS
Location: Distilled and Aged in Indiana, Finished in California
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks Price: $84.99
Doc Swinson's Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Perfect amber.
Nose: Nice, strong bourbon nose to start, with vanilla and oak leading the charge. The Tawny is a broad undertone of dark fruit, understated but present on the nose. Slight dryness, no proof.
Palate: The port is immediately more apparent. Deep grape and wine flavors all over the tongue, growing on the chew. The flavor combo elevates both excellently, the toasted red fruit and spice jumping out like fireworks. Mouthfeel is filling, peppery, some oak, coating as hell and chewable. Roasted almonds round out the back end.
Finish: Long, still chewing. Not too sweet despite the broad port influence. The oak and port and bourbon are all in harmony.
Overall: I’ll keep it simple: this is Doc Swinson’s best finishing yet, period.
Final Rating: 8.0
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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