Single Cask Nation 24 Year Old Bourbon
Photo from singlecasknation.com
Single Cask Nation (SCN) is one of those independent bottlers that is either under-the-radar or super well-known…depending on the group, it could really go either way. I hadn’t heard of them until about a year or two ago, but as soon as I tasted their releases, I was a believer.
This particular bottling is, well, a unicorn. As the name suggests, all Single Cask Nation bottlings are by nature single cask, but not all casks are equal (and, sometimes it’s a few casks). This one was distilled in November 1994 at an unnamed distillery and bottled in November 2020 after 12 years aging in Kentucky and another 12 in Scotland. While the distillery is technically under wraps, neither SCN nor the distillery in question seem to mind putting it in plain sight.
I mean, seriously - it was marketed as “pre-fire”, it’s got flames all over the label, and a big point was made to note the date of distillation: November 1994.
If you haven’t guessed yet, the distillery was Heaven Hill. Surprise! Pre-fire Heaven Hill is some of the most sought-after whiskey on secondary markets and auctions (for the record, I’ve had good and bad pre-fire, so take that for what it’s worth next time you see a bottle for hundreds just because it’s pre-fire).
Why all the fuss? Well, after the fire in 1996, which destroyed several warehouses and the distillation building, Heaven Hill received help from its bourbon neighbors, namely Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and others nearby in Kentucky. It was momentous, and showed the bourbon community at its best. But (there’s always a but, isn’t there) it means that anything produced for the next few years may or may not be 100% Heaven Hill distillate - hence the premium for single barrel and smaller batch products that were indeed all Heaven Hill. These barrels supposedly are all HH, and I’m taking SCN at their word for that.
Single Cask Nation 24 Year Old Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Bourbon
Origin: Unnamed Distillery (cough Heaven Hill cough)
Proof: 94.8 (47.4% ABV)
Age: 24 Years Old
Location: Distilled in Kentucky, Aged in Kentucky and Scotland
Single Cask Nation 24 Year Old Bourbon Price: $295
Single Cask Nation 24 Year Old Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Amber maple syrup. Thin rims bleed syrupy droplet legs.
Nose: Caramelized dark sugar, though not too sweet. Classic, well-aged bourbon nose. If I were guessing blind, I’d guess around 15 years old. Tinge of proof heat in the nostrils. Cracker Jacks, some candied or honey roasted nuts.
Palate: Definitely Heaven Hill. If not 100%, a large percentage. Roasting almonds in their skins. Unsweetened cornbread, lots of corn in various expressions, sweet, salty, umami even. Cloves, a hint of star anise, a little mint on the way back. Mouthfeel is full, almost gelatinous, coating and tingly, oily, oak powers the dram without overpowering. Dark chocolate on the back end.
Finish: Reveals much more dark chocolate than the palate did at first. Bits of those roasted, salted almonds scattered about the chocolate. Medium length, sticks to my tongue and teeth.
Overall: SCN does it again. I’m wary of older bourbon, and this exceeds my usual limit by a decade, but this is exceptional. Classic flavors broken down and rebuilt for extra nuance, as if it were both the most basic bourbon and the most complex all at once.
Final Rating: 8.0
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)
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