New Jersey Bourbon and Yacht Club Maiden Voyage
The New Jersey Bourbon & Yacht Club - or NJBYC - has picked some kick-ass bottles from the likes of Maker’s Mark (“Gold on Gold”), Smoke Wagon (“Smoke on the Water”), and Four Roses (“Perilous Journey”). I just took part in a tasting for a Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof that was *chef’s kiss* delicious. Can’t wait to get a case of that in my closet.
It’s one thing to do private picks from well-known producers. It’s another to take the next step, picking a barrel and selling it under your own brand. Here we have the first of hopefully many private bottlings to come from NJBYC.
A 6-year-old MGP bourbon, “Maiden Voyage” is bottled at cask strength - 120.2º - and uses MGP’s high-rye bourbon mashbill. For me, this is the sweet spot for this mashbill: I love MGP 7-year-old rye, and in this bottle, it’s 36% of the grain base. There’s something about the 7-year age range that makes their rye explode with flavor. A few years too young, it’s raw and woody; a few years too old, it’s…well, woody. But at between 6-8 years old, it’s floral, rich, sweet, spicy, and herbal all at once.
Of course, this isn’t rye, it’s bourbon. So why make such a big deal about the rye? Because the rye influence is undeniable in this pour. The spice and sweet herb bring tremendous flavor and body while allowing the roasted corn flavor its time to shine.
I want to join my friend Mike at Bourbon Culture by giving a shoutout to Dan (@oakandtime) who handles the sticker design and imaginative naming for our group’s picks. Although we are only about 60% New Jerseyans (myself not included, of course) and we don’t have a yacht (yet!!!), NJBYC picks smash. Glad I bought a case so I can enjoy it for a long, long time.
New Jersey Bourbon & Yacht Club Maiden Voyage: Specs
Classification: Bourbon
Origin: MGP
Mashbill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Barley.
Proof: 120.2 (60.1% ABV)
Age: 6 Years
Location: Indiana
New Jersey Bourbon & Yacht Club Maiden Voyage Price: $30
New Jersey Bourbon & Yacht Club Maiden Voyage Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Rich maple syrup. Thin rims, hang-on large droplets that slowly bleed.
Nose: Sweet tobacco and fresh leather. Gentle rye-forward nose, a hint of dill but plenty of corn influence. Very little proof on the nose. Oaky vanilla without being woody, with roasted cornbread edges.
Palate: Immediately drying and coating. The rye grabs my tongue and won’t let go. Spicy, proof heat and pink peppercorns reach my entire palate in a flash like it exploded. The corn rolls in after the initial explosion without being too sweet. Mouthfeel is full-bodied, spicy, jalapeno cornbread and a velvety, incredibly coating texture. This just sits and sits getting sweeter and more corn-forward every second.
Finish: Opens some fruit for dessert, Bosc pears, and the fruity side of a habanero (with a little bit of the heat, too!). Creamy oak.
Overall: You won’t mistake this for MGP’s low-rye recipe, that’s for sure. There’s plenty of rye-driven spice throughout with soft cornbread flavors and textures. For a 6-year-old bourbon, this is really impressive, with intriguing mouthfeels and flavor evolutions as you sip.
Final Rating: 7.8
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
More MGP Reviews
