Sam Houston 14 Year Old Bourbon
When you think of Texas, few names are as ubiquitous as Sam Houston. Soldier, Congressman, Senator, President of the Republic of Texas (twice!), he had one of those lives that turns someone from a person into a legend, especially in the annals of the American West.
Of all the names that have been adopted into the bourbon cannon in the past few years, this one feels weird to me, though. He’s got the history to “earn” a whiskey and, unlike some, his history is pretty well established (read: factual). And yet there’s a dissonance - how could an American whiskey named after Sam Houston not be a Texas whiskey?
I should note that this question has nothing to do with the quality of the bottle or the liquid, it’s just an odd observance that has been bothering me. Elijah Craig was supposedly a preacher in Kentucky. Jack Daniel distilled in Tennessee, as did George Dickel. J.K. Williams distilled in Peoria, IL. Sam Houston did a lot in his life - whatever you think of him, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that. But he didn’t do a thing in Kentucky nor, to my knowledge, have anything to do with distilling in Texas or anywhere else.
Maybe this is a question for the producers, Western Spirits. Did they seek out any Texas distilleries? Even to be part of a multi-state blend a la Barrell? Or was it always going to be a sourced Kentucky bourbon named after a famous Texan? It’s bugging the shit out of me the more I write about it, so I’ll cut it off here - but Western Spirits, if you read this, let me know!
As far as the whiskey itself, it’s fine. Very good, even, but fine. Each batch consists of three barrels and are assigned to states - for example, the one I tried was from Release 4 and was the Kentucky batch. The differences of each batch must be minute, since the tasting notes are the same for all of Release 4 (and Release 5, for that matter). The later batches, 6 and 7, are 15-year-old batches, so my semi-educated guess would be these came from the same totes that seemingly everybody was putting out in 2019, 2020, and 2021.
At this point I’m making several assumptions, and I know what can come of that, but hey let’s keep going. And after a momentary pause on the subject, let’s circle back to Sam Houston. Anyone reading this think he probably would’ve liked his bourbon stronger? Again, I don’t think this is bad bourbon, but when you’re paying $120 a bottle, do you want something that’s good/very good and at just 98 proof? Named after a legendarily large figure whose life was anything but watered down?
I guess what I’m saying is this: if you’re a Sam Houston fan (the man, not the bourbon), I don’t know if you’ll appreciate this. If you’re a fan of 14-year-old bourbon and couldn’t give a shit who Sam Houston is, you probably will.
Sam Houston 14 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Unknown Distillery, Western Spirits
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 98 (49% ABV)
Age: 14 Years Old
Location: Kentucky
Sam Houston 14 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Price: $120
Sam Houston 14 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Fossilized amber. Very thin rims and legs.
Nose: Cherry cough drops, sweet and a touch oaky. A touch of proof. Watered down caramel emerges as the proof grows. Oak starts to grow, too.
Palate: Peppery right away, grabbing the tongue with Luden’s drops, more red fruits caramelizing and in a tinned fruit cocktail. Mouthfeel is textured, sits heavily in the mouth. Oak is here in creaminess, pepper, and wood, though red Jolly Ranchers are also in full force.
Finish: Long and fruity, reminds me of Barton just aged longer. Fruit is front and center all the way.
Overall: Fine, a bit out of the ordinary, but really not much. The fruitiness and candied sweetness carry the load. I wouldn’t buy this, personally, but it was worth a taste. Note that this is non chill-filtered and in three barrel batches.
Final Rating: 6.3
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Old Label Batch 4 or 2, Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Stagg Jr. Batch 10, 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)
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