Terressentia article on NPR

[toddinjax]

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/05/17/407064152/south-carolina-distiller-promises-to-make-kentucky-liquor-quicker

I've not visited here much lately so forgive me if this has been discussed. Have any of the big guns around here tasted this product? I love tradition as much as the next guy, but I wouldn't want to be unnecessarily bound to it.

[Old Dusty]

Everyone else can drink the time warp Kool-aid, but I'm chalking this one up in the same category as soylent green, Y2K, the Emperor's new clothes, truthers, preppers, and Nickleback. And people who like yams.

[Enoch]

They make several "bourbons" for sale around here under different names. While not swill, it has a very bland generic taste. I keep meaning to drive down there and visit.

[toddinjax]

Everyone else can drink the time warp Kool-aid, but I'm chalking this one up in the same category as soylent green, Y2K, the Emperor's new clothes, truthers, preppers, and Nickleback. And people who like yams.

Thank you for replying while I simultaneously take you to task for not answering my question. I, by nature of being a lifelong cynic, do not have soaring hope for this "new invention". But at the same time, I won't deem that it is trash because it is new, and different than what I am used to. I didn't grow up eating seedless watermelon but I'll be goddamned if I will ever buy one with seeds now! If Squire tastes this new hooch and says "blah"…okay, that's enough for me and I'll not risk buying a bottle. If he says "thumbs up", I'll jump in.

No hard feelings Dusty, I'm not really bustin' em on ya, I'm just using your post to reiterate that I'm really looking for information rather than opinion. I'm sure the general opinion around here would be a carbon copy of my reaction when I read about stuff like this. I will at least give credit to this new enterprise that they are adressing a genuine "issue".

[smokinjoe]

Thank you for replying while I simultaneously take you to task for not answering my question. I, by nature of being a lifelong cynic, do not have soaring hope for this "new invention". But at the same time, I won't deem that it is trash because it is new, and different than what I am used to. I didn't grow up eating seedless watermelon but I'll be goddamned if I will ever buy one with seeds now! If Squire tastes this new hooch and says "blah"…okay, that's enough for me and I'll not risk buying a bottle. If he says "thumbs up", I'll jump in.

No hard feelings Dusty, I'm not really bustin' em on ya, I'm just using your post to reiterate that I'm really looking for information rather than opinion. I'm sure the general opinion around here would be a carbon copy of my reaction when I read about stuff like this. I will at least give credit to this new enterprise that they are adressing a genuine "issue".

You could have found information with a quick search. Here, I'll help you along:

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?23596-American-Barrels-Bourbon&highlight=Terresentia

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/showthread.php?19855-Trey-Herring-s-Carolina-Bourbon&highlight=Terresentia

http://www.straightbourbon.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-17154.html

Another 5 minutes or so of casual searching of the SB archives will probably yield you additional info.

[Old Dusty]

Thank you for replying while I simultaneously take you to task for not answering my question. I, by nature of being a lifelong cynic, do not have soaring hope for this "new invention". But at the same time, I won't deem that it is trash because it is new, and different than what I am used to. I didn't grow up eating seedless watermelon but I'll be goddamned if I will ever buy one with seeds now! If Squire tastes this new hooch and says "blah"…okay, that's enough for me and I'll not risk buying a bottle. If he says "thumbs up", I'll jump in.

No hard feelings Dusty, I'm not really bustin' em on ya, I'm just using your post to reiterate that I'm really looking for information rather than opinion. I'm sure the general opinion around here would be a carbon copy of my reaction when I read about stuff like this. I will at least give credit to this new enterprise that they are adressing a genuine "issue".

No offense taken, but you ARE asking for opinions if what you want are reactions from folks who may have tasted the product. If Squire(your example) says it's good/bad that's an opinion based upon his particular taste in whiskey. And as for me, I will avoid the Frankenwhiskey and continue to spend my discretionary income on stuff produced the hard way.

[zillah]

My tasting notes regarding Terressentia's Hayes Parker Bourbon.

Hayes Parker Reserve Bourbon (6 months old, 90 proof)

Nose: orange liqueur, earl grey tea, corn nuts and corn oil, agave syrup, vomit, cheap cigar

Taste: corn syrup, orange zest, angostura bitters, and corn husk; slightly viscous

Finish: short with tortilla and grapefruit

Overall: This thing reeks of youth. Any barrel character is non-existent. This doesn't even resemble what one might think of as bourbon. They tout that by using their "TerrePure" technology, they are able to remove all the congeners that would produce a spirit without an alcohol bite. And that is true: this stuff isn't offensive. However, those congeners and extensive wood aging is what makes bourbon what it is. If you put this up blind in a bourbon tasting I would think many people thought you put the wrong spirit in the line-up. It resembles more of niche European spirit; maybe even confused as Tequila. If it was branded something other than Bourbon, I would rate it higher. It does have a nice mouth-feel and other than its youthful grain notes, it is surprisingly interesting. Cheap too. But it ain't bourbon.

[mark fleetwood]

My tasting notes regarding Terressentia's Hayes Parker Bourbon.

Hayes Parker Reserve Bourbon (6 months old, 90 proof)

Nose: orange liqueur, earl grey tea, corn nuts and corn oil, agave syrup, vomit, cheap cigar

Taste: corn syrup, orange zest, angostura bitters, and corn husk; slightly viscous

Finish: short with tortilla and grapefruit

Overall: This thing reeks of youth. Any barrel character is non-existent. This doesn't even resemble what one might think of as bourbon. They tout that by using their "TerrePure" technology, they are able to remove all the congeners that would produce a spirit without an alcohol bite. And that is true: this stuff isn't offensive. However, those congeners and extensive wood aging is what makes bourbon what it is. If you put this up blind in a bourbon tasting I would think many people thought you put the wrong spirit in the line-up. It resembles more of niche European spirit; maybe even confused as Tequila. If it was branded something other than Bourbon, I would rate it higher. It does have a nice mouth-feel and other than its youthful grain notes, it is surprisingly interesting. Cheap too. But it ain't bourbon.

"Vomit" nose! Wow, hope the brand owner can work THAT into their marketing and label. What's a shame with these short-aged spirits (in addition to the juice not having a decent chance to gain all the benefits it can from the wood in an extended stay in the barrel) is that these bourbon barrels are now wasted, at least in terms of producing any more bourbon. Still takes decades for the tree to grow, but Terressentia uses them up in 180 days.

[squire]

You guys realize Squire can be bribed, don't 'cha?

[Enoch]

Not all of their offerings are clearly marked as from them. For instance, Trey Herrings Carolina Bourbon never mentions Terressentia.

http://www.carolinabourbon.com/

But their corporate addresses happen to be the same. Not much is said except "Aged in new oak barrels for less than 4 years." That could be anything from 1 to 1460 days.

[shoshani]

I'm not really bustin' em on ya, I'm just using your post to reiterate that I'm really looking for information rather than opinion.

I'm not really bustin' em on ya, but your exact query was

Have any of the big guns around here tasted this product?

which in and of itself presupposes no information and two opinions: one, who is defined as a "big gun", and two, what's their opinion of the juice. If you're asking for someone to tell you their impression based on tasting, you are asking for opinion; all such impressions are subjective in nature.

You already have all the information that anyone is ever going to have, specifically that the product is unique in that it is the subject of an artificial simulated aging technique designed to literally cheat time.

[Paddy]

Wade could chime in and give you an opinion (or two)...

Didn't he recently get called over to one of these fine revolutionaries for a blind SBS and report on it here?

[VT Mike]

Considering that the second step of their timeline for creating a private brand spirit is the signing of a non-disclosure statement, I suspect that there's a good deal more of this stuff out on store shelves than people realize.

http://www.terressentia.com/timeline

I have tasted the rapid aged bourbons from Cleveland, which is a company that uses its own process that sounds somewhat similar to Terressentia's. The 87 proof was pretty rough and immature, but the 100 proof wasn't too bad. The oak flavors were a little over-the-top though. I at least give Cleveland credit for clearly stating what they are all about on the label.

[jsrudd]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wine-dark-sea-of-regulation-1432161581

Even vintners are getting into the rapid ageing game. A small Napa winery is aging a Cabernet Sauvignon at the bottom of the Charleston harbor in order to "speed the aging process and enhance flavor." They cleverly call it "Aquaoir"

[Enoch]

Considering that the second step of their timeline for creating a private brand spirit is the signing of a non-disclosure statement, I suspect that there's a good deal more of this stuff out on store shelves than people realize.

http://www.terressentia.com/timeline

I have tasted the rapid aged bourbons from Cleveland, which is a company that uses its own process that sounds somewhat similar to Terressentia's. The 87 proof was pretty rough and immature, but the 100 proof wasn't too bad. The oak flavors were a little over-the-top though. I at least give Cleveland credit for clearly stating what they are all about on the label.

[squire]

I did because I was curious how they set up shop, distilled and aged bourbon and stayed completely off the radar until it was released.