Virginia Gentleman - what's the story?

[Sijan]

This stuff is sickeningly sweet and has no bite whatsoever.

I don't remember it being *that* sweet, and it certainly has some bite to it. It's basically Buffalo Trace distillate redistilled and aged in VA. I think they use the same barrels as BT, but I can't remember that for sure. When I was there, I saw a lot of Buffalo Trace barrels as well, apparently mostly for some experimental purposes.

I'll try to do a tasting later today & give some impressions

[blue lander]

I'm sure it's all just a matter of taste. I prefer bourbons that kick me in the teeth and claw their way down my throat. It's just not my kind of bourbon, and I'd imagine many people who like spicy rye-intensive drinks would feel the same way.

[bluesbassdad]

Your explanation makes perfect sense to me, even though my taster apparently works differently than yours.

Translating to the domain of music, some folks like Tchiakovsky but not BB King. Others are the reverse. I happen to like both, but my mood will determine which I am more likely to listen to at a given time.

In the same way, I like "The Fox" for its clarity and subtlety, but more often only a full-flavored bourbon will do.

Yours truly,
Dave Morefield

[Sijan]

You're right, it is quite sweet. Sweet nose, sweet on the palate with a fairly sweet finish. But there's also a bit of spice in there late on the palate/early in the finish. It also has a taste that I'm not used to finding in bourbons, but can't quite put my finger on what it is. Similar in some ways to the Heaven Hill eucalyptus undertones, but I like this taste much better. It is also quite smooth.

Although it isn't particularly complex, I still like it quite a bit. But I can definitely see why a fan of rye-heavy bourbons wouldn't like it much (though I like those quite a bit too).

[camduncan]

You're right, it is quite sweet. Sweet nose, sweet on the palate with a fairly sweet finish.
<snip>
It is also quite smooth.

Now I really want to buy a bottle. I like sweet

[fogfrog]

Well, I did not buy Ezra Brooks because it says its from St Louis, but really its just bottled there. The stuff comes from Heaven Hill I do believe in KY. So where its bottled does not matter so much. As a matter of fact, I bought Cluny Scotch which I believe everything in the bottle comes from Scotland but it is blended and bottled in KY. Then I had a bottle of Chivas Regal and found it is likewise bottled in KY. And it is Scotch...so go figure on that.

Maybe the VA bourbon is from KY but bottled in VA.

[AJ123]

Can a brand market itself as bourbon if it is not made in KY? I always thought it had to be made in KY. However, I looked it up and apparently it need only be made in the U.S. and conform to the other items of the U.S. definition. Obviously it can't be Kentucky Bourbon or Kentucky Straight Bourbon. And we all know that the filtered technique of GD and JD are called Tennessee Whiskey. But I don't think it's a requirement that the bourbon be even started in KY like the description below. Is that correct?



I repeated the quote below which has the detail on this particular one.

It's a myth that bourbon has to be made in Kentucky. Virginia Gentleman is Straight Bourbon Whiskey, but not Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Another example of non-Kentucky bourbon whiskey is A.H. Hirsch.

Virginia Gentleman is actually originally distilled at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort & then shipped to the Bowman Distillery near Fredericksburg, VA, where it is redistilled, barrelled, and aged. (The barrels are just kept upright on pallets in a normal sort of storage warehouse, btw, - no special rickhouse or anything.)

I think the VG90 is quite good.

[Gillman]

The quote you gave doesn't say or suggest bourbon has to be started in Kentucky, it gives in fact the example of Hirsch 16 year old straight bourbon which was made in Pennsylvania.

Bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S. but only bourbon made in Kentucky as you noted, can call itself Kentucky Bourbon. But then too while bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S., almost all of it IS in fact made in Kentucky or started there (for Virginia Gentleman only I believe). Kentucky is the industrial but also spiritual home of bourbon whiskey. It also probably always made the best bourbon and had therefore the best and most loyal devotees, hence its survival not really even in Kentucky but only one or two counties of Kentucky of which Nelson County is by far the most important. Why, fine bourbon and Nelson County are synonymous terms.

Gary

[AJ123]

Thanks. I also heard somewhere there was some bourbon started in KY which was finished and bottled in Missouri; don't recall brand or whether that is still being done.

The quote you gave doesn't say or suggest bourbon has to be started in Kentucky, it gives in fact the example of Hirsch 16 year old straight bourbon which was made in Pennsylvania.

Bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S. but only bourbon made in Kentucky as you noted, can call itself Kentucky Bourbon. But then too while bourbon can be made anywhere in the U.S., almost all of it IS in fact made in Kentucky or started there (for Virginia Gentleman only I believe). Kentucky is the industrial but also spiritual home of bourbon whiskey. It also probably always made the best bourbon and had therefore the best and most loyal devotees, hence its survival not really even in Kentucky but only one or two counties of Kentucky of which Nelson County is by far the most important. Why, fine bourbon and Nelson County are synonymous terms.

Gary

[Gillman]

Might be McCormick Distilling Co in Weston, MO, a plant has existed there for some time but current production details are hard to come by. They produced a notable line of decanter whiskeys in the 70's. I always thought Hiram Walker (now owned by Beam) owned that company at least in recent years but I might be wrong.

Gary