Taconic Distillery Cabernet-Finished Bourbon

BourbonReviews

Sep 10

Written By David Levine

For this release, Taconic takes their NY Bourbon and finishes it in Cabernet barrels for an unspecified amount of time.

45% ABV/90 Proof

Eye: Orange blossom honey with medium rims and few legs.

Nose: Definitely a finished bourbon with lots of grape sweetness, both the fresh grape of a vineyard and the artificial grape you’d find in a syrup or candy.

Palate: Classic Taconic flavors are more apparent here. Nice sweet corn and a light burn come through. Oddly, this tastes a bit younger than the “regular” bourbon and younger than I expected. Some cigar smoke in the background and roasted peanut skins on the back-end. Mouthfeel is coating and oily.

Finish: Chewy, peanuts and grapes come out more clearly. Smooth and corn-forward.

Overall: I find it odd that the cabernet finish potentially made this taste younger rather than older as most finishes do, but I can’t say whether it’s a plus or minus for the overall pour. Not bad, but I’ll stick to the original.

Rating: 4.8

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)