is barrel-finished bourbon a mistake?

[cowdery]

Whiskey is booming right now, but for most consumer products, whiskey included, new products are the straw that stirs the drink. Since developing new whiskey products from scratch takes years, get used to seeing a lot of flavors and finishes.

Although some people use finishes to improve the product when the underlying spirit isn't great, they're usually a way to create a different and, ideally, tasty flavor. By definition, a finish doesn't take very long. How long depends on what the distiller is working with and hoping to achieve. It might take a few weeks, it might take a few months, but it's usually less than a year. More than that and it's not a finish, it's two-woods aging.

In the U.S., finishes must be disclosed as part of the product classification, so it's Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished In Port Wines Barrels (Angel's Envy).

I'm still interested in the choice of the word "mistake." I'd be interested if the original poster or anyone else would care to make a case for finishes being a mistake. How so?

Edited March 1, 2013 by cowdery

[MauiSon]

I would imagine the OP meant that barrel-finishing may not be an auspicious direction for distillers to focus their attention. For instance, what if Maker's Mark chose to release a higher-aged (and/or higher-proofed) version, instead of the 'barrel-finished' product (46)? Would consumers have been better served? It's just a question of how we hope bourbon producers will evolve (and sustain) their product lines.

Sure, one-off attempts at changing the basic process can be interesting and command some interest in the marketplace, but how much of that gimmickry can the market absorb (and at what cost to our familiar favorites)?

Edited March 1, 2013 by MauiSon

[GaryT]

I think they have to try these types of new products to Chuck's point, as that is what creates buzz. I've only had a few tastes but personally just haven't thought the barrel-finishing added enough to separate me from more of my dough. I wasn't impressed with Maker's 46 and think I would have preferred what MauiSon pondered - maybe a higher aged or higher proofed version. But while I don't care for it - I wouldn't call it a mistake.

[LostBottle]

More fodder for this discussion:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?19404-Angel-s-Envy-Rye

Edited March 2, 2013 by LostBottle

[MyOldKyDram]

That finish isn't a mistake, sounds great, but the pricing sure as hell is. Criminy.

[Meruck]

The only way I think it could be a "mistake" would be to take a good whiskey and make it bad. That would be evidenced by lack of sales and poor reviews. Different doesn't alway men bad. It's the whole eye of the beholder thing. A bourbon by any other name, wouldn't be from Kentucky.

[cowdery]

Finishes aren't a way to make bourbon, they're a way to use bourbon to make a unique drink.

[sob0728]

I just don't think bourbon "takes" a finish the way scotch does and I am not excited about these products. I called it a mistake because I think companies could get more mileage out of investments in age and proof experiments rather than buying French Oak staves to put in their barrels. Maker's barrel proof? Maker's 15/107, would it taste like Pappy 15? I'd be interested in knowing those answers much more than what does Wild Turkey sherry cask taste like. Just my opinion, but that is why I called it a mistake.

[clindt]

I'm excited about these new finished bourbons. It brings a whole new avenue of bourbons to explore. I don't have to like everyone; it's the journey that's fun.

[squire]

It really sounds like a premixed cocktail doesn't it.

[brettckeen]

As someone who makes his livelihood selling whiskey in a glass, I find the finishes very exciting. My first exposure to finishing was Wild Turkey Sherry Signature, which when I was first getting into bourbon was a go to desert drink, perfect for sharing with the delicate sensibilities of my date. When Angel's envy was first launched their huge marketing push brought folks in asking about it. I have been successful in delivering this spirit to people who until until recently would have never tried a bourbon with out cola added. Beer enthusiasts have gotten excited about the New Holland Dragon's Milk finished Bourbon. These are both "gateway" bourbons to bring more people to our fold. New Holland certainly took juice I would not normally enjoy and turned it into something I'm proud to serve. Maybe the finished in ...... casks could be a great solution for spirits from smaller distilleries. Bourbons we may not care for because they are put to bottle too early could be a bit more palatable and worth the high price when given a finish.

[squire]

Good points Brett, Bourbon is, after all, a big tent.

[wildcatdon]

Like the Makers 46 but hate Angel's Envy..

[SMOWK]

It's only a mistake if the bourbon tastes worse when it comes out of the finishing barrel than when it goes in.

[cowdery]

Wait until you taste the Angel's Envy rye. It's LDI rye, finished in rum casks, except the rum casks are French oak and originally held Cognac. So Cognac, then rum, then rye, and it spent one year in the finishing cask. It's like a supercharged version of Maker's 46, like maybe Maker's 46,000.

[Meruck]

So is that widely available yet, or another Col. Chuck advance issue?

[cowdery]

Got a taste at the Bourbon Classic. (Tip, all of the producers have something under the table.) It will be out soon.

[sob0728]

It will be out soon.

Most likely for the bargain basement price of $150 or so considering where it is coming from. (The Angels ARE envious because the company doesn't age the whiskey long enough for the angels to get their share and also because even God himself wouldn't charge those prices for whiskey He distilled from the great column still in the sky.)

[squire]

Who says He uses a column still.

[MauiSon]

Never heard of Jacob's ladder?

[cowdery]

"Jacob's Ladder" was a movie. "Jacob's Well" was a boubon. It was 'double-barreled,' which I think meant that they took a bunch of barrels, dumped a couple and used that whiskey to top off the rest. It saves warehouse space, not so sure it does anything for the whiskey.

[Old Dusty]

Hmmm,there is aNDP here in Indiana , Spring Mill is the brand name, and they tout their product as double barreled. Wondered if it made any difference or was more gimmick.

[squire]

When I initially heard the term double barreled my thought was what was wrong with the first one.

[MauiSon]

"Jacob's Ladder" was a movie. "Jacob's Well" was a boubon. It was 'double-barreled,' which I think meant that they took a bunch of barrels, dumped a couple and used that whiskey to top off the rest. It saves warehouse space, not so sure it does anything for the whiskey.

You missed my point. Jacob's ladder was God's column still. [From a distiller's viewpoint]

Edited March 28, 2013 by MauiSon