W. B. Saffell Bourbon
W. B. Saffell Bourbon is release #4 in the Whiskey Barons Series, put out by Campari and produced at their Wild Turkey Distillery. William Butler Saffell was a so-called “Whiskey Baron” in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, honored alongside names like Bond & Lillard in the annals of whiskey lore.
Right off the bat, this is a marketing gem - there’s no mention of Wild Turkey anywhere on the bottle (aside from the distillation site: Lawrenceburg, KY), so if you just saw this on the shelf you’d think it was its own line. The faux tax strip noting it as part of the Whiskey Barons collection is purely aesthetic, and the label - beautifully designed, if I’m being honest - evokes a pre-prohibition Kentucky brimming with distillers and distilleries, with a preeminent W. B. Saffell presiding over the scene.
Now - if a bottle is a marketing piece, as this is, I tend to hold it to a higher standard. Its rating will be objective, of course, but that’s just a number - no telling what I’ll say here, right?
LUCKILY - there won’t be a problem here. This is damn good bourbon. Call it a pre-prohibition recipe, a callback, whatever you want, it’s really good. There is some Wild Turkey character here, but it’s a branch off rather than of the main stalk.
My one complaint with this bottle is simply the cost. At $50 for a 375ml - so $100 for 750ml - it’s a bit steep. It’s not stay-away expensive, but it’s not everyday drinker territory, either. For what it’s worth, I am comfortable paying that price - I really do think it’s worth it at $50 - but not much higher. The upside? a portion of all proceeds from this and the other Whiskey Baron releases goes towards renovating the Ripy Home on Whiskey Barons Row in Lawrenceburg, KY, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. What can I say…I’m a sucker for history.
W. B. Saffell: Specs
Classification: American Bourbon
Origin: Wild Turkey Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)
Age: NAS, Blend of 6, 8, 10, and 12 year-old Bourbons (according to Campari)
Location: Unknown
W. B. Saffell Price: $49.99 (MSRP - 375ml)
W. B. Saffell Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Amber, medium rim holds syrupy droplet legs.
Nose: Strong vanilla, red/dark fruit sweetness. Not too hot. Rounds out to a quintessential bourbon nose with some air, leaning towards corn sweetness and away from rye spice.
Palate: Tip of the tongue gets singed a little, but the heat gives way to a great all-tongue tingle and vanilla. Oak dryness and spice. Tingle continues to carry vanilla, stone fruits, and corn sweetness rounding it out. Mouthfeel is coating with a medium body.
Finish: Long, tingly with lots of vanilla and syrup.
Overall: Super balanced. I keep thinking one flavor will take over and yet each gets rounded out. A really wonderful bourbon. The person I bought this from told me this is reminiscent of dusty Turkey - if so, I can’t wait to try more of that. Side note: has anyone researched why so much bourbon is just perfect at 107 proof?
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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