13th Colony Southern Bourbon

Taste is neat in a glencairn, recently opened, long sit. Nose - sweet, vanilla, caramel, corn, little bit of tobacco, toffee, and maple, get almost like a candied pecan or peanuts, cherry, has an ever so slight earthiness to it but sweetness flavors by far stand out more than anything. Palate - to me feels thin, but a significant amount of flavor that coats the mouth better than you would think for a 95 proof. Nose and palate match vanilla, caramel, sweet corn, slight nuttiness, cherry, cinnamon. Some spice but not overpowering by any stretch and that sweetness holds throughout. Finish - I thought this finish for a 95 proof was pretty impressive, medium if not long, leather, little bit of oak, sweetness still holds on with brown sugar, and a hint of the candied nuts. Based upon the batch I have would have to respectfully disagree with the ratings I’ve seen under 4. This has a very limited distribution but if I found this at $35ish a bottle id probably buy a case. At $45 I’d still probably buy 3 bottles at a time. This is incredibly smooth and a very easy drinker, like sneaky smooth, and almost no signs of youth. It has a ton of flavor for a 4-6yr small batch, a better nose then some bourbons ive had at 8-12yrs. Best way i could describe it is like Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, and Wild Turkey had a love child. It has flavors that I would typically find in each of those brands. Is it a power house unicorn, no, but at $35-$45 thats not what I expect it to be. As a cheap everyday drinker with great flavor 100% yes. Ideally would like to see it at $35, think it competes better in that price range, but this is also a “craft” distiller with limited distribution so if you have to pay more online to get then understandable. 13th Colony keeps putting out stuff like this they’re gonna get real popular real quick.

I have been wanting to review this for a while now but between work and life, I have not been able to do it. This is the third spirit I have reviewed from 13th Colony and it is a different animal from the Sour Mash bourbon and should be treated as such. It's a dark liquid in the bottle and in the Glencairn and it coats the sides of the glass nicely. The nose is sweet with vanilla, caramel, and something else like brown sugar or maple. The body is very nice. It has a great big flavor and clings to the inside of your mouth like molasses but it also brings the heat with it. This bourbon is 95 proof and it can taste hotter than its 105 proof cousin the 13th Colony Sour Mash Bourbon that I reviewed earlier. The finish is a little bit astringent and sharp but not unpleasant. The flavor lingers in your mouth for a long time and it is something that I really enjoy about the two 13th Colony bourbons. This is sadly not very easy to find but I have begun to see it in South Carolina and in central North Carolina around Fayetteville. If you see a bottle of this or the Sour Mash and you like big flavor bourbon then buy a bottle of this and try it. Where I found it in south Georgia it was $40 a bottle but I finally found it in my area for $35 a bottle and at that price it is a regular buy for me.

Upon initial tasting, it came out of the bottle, pretty hot, almost like a round of double a buck loaded with salt rock. pound you right in the face however, once you get past that initial hit, it does mellow out. I actually taste some cinnamon flavors to it not everybody will. I paid $50 for it. I do believe at total wine, I did try it with 7-Up Ginger that sort of cut and I was super super surprised at how well it married with it. Honestly, I think I’m gonna go back with straight seltzer water, and drink it that way this isn’t for the fan heart you need to be a man to drink this, but this isn’t some peanut butter whiskey or some cherry cordial delight that you get this is whiskey.

Nose: Creamy vanilla and sweet oak Palate: Vanilla and caramel that gives way to warm baking spices with hints of fruit and nuts Finish: Short but a sweet and spiced-filled linger longer than you'd expect Yes, the bottle will attract attention as it closely resembles the same glass that is used to house Old Forrester Birthday Bourbon. Their flagship bourbon is said to be a blend of sourced barrels, ranging from 4 to 6 years old. With a 21% rye mashbill, I'm sure we can speculate where the source is from. In the end, this is a very classic bourbon with a sweet profile that is an easy sipper. At a sub-$50 MSRP, it's a fair value.

NEAT NOSE - Sweet Corn, Caramel, and Honey PALATE - Exactly what the nose would suggest. Extremely crushable and would be a nice daily sipper at the price point and easy going flavor profile. Not complex, but good and straightforward. No oak comes through on the palate or the nose. FINISH - Short. All the notes just fade away like the end-credits of a movie. They all exit stage together at the same time. BUY? - Yes. BUY AGAIN? - At it’s price point, I wouldn’t be against it. It’s smooth and sweet and a great price point for craft but it’s honestly nothing special. Regardless, it’s an enjoyable pour.

Not sure what I read where that inspired me to try this. One of my favorite stops when passing through Georgia had a bottle and it was a pleasant surprise. I'm glad I got a bottle This is a really dark orange and it coats the side of the glass. On the sweet side, it's solid but not very complex. Rich with caramel and a touch of citrus in the background. Nice long lasting maple-brown sugar finish