Jefferson's Ocean Aged at Sea Voyage 19 Special Wheated Mash Bill

This is my official deep dive into Jefferson’s. Feel free to skip ahead to the tasting, because there are going to be a bunch of these cheesy intros, all copy/paste. ~~~~~~~~~~ Concept: I walk into a liquor store and see like a billion different Jefferson’s bottles, yet my knowledge of them is minimal. My perception is that I typically don’t care for their stuff, but somehow, before choosing to start this experiment, I already had six different Jefferson’s on my shelf. How did they invade my house? ~~~~~~~~~~ Methodology: Step 1: Jefferson’s Very Small Batch. Patient 0. Where it all started? Never had it, so a damn good place to start. This one was bought specifically for this experiment. Step 2: Jefferson’s VSB vs Jefferson’s Reserve (Very Old Very Small Batch). I already had this one. How did this get in my house? Step 3: Jefferson’s VSB vs Jefferson’s Ocean. Is it a gimmick? Again, how did this get in my house? Step 4: Jefferson’s Ocean standard vs Jefferson’s Ocean wheated mash bill. Repeat house question. Step 5: Finished Jefferson’s. I got rum, Sauternes, and Prichard Hill. Let’s do this. Step 6: Blind taste test with all 7. Hell, throw in Chef’s Collaboration. (Seriously, how?) So there’s 8. Can I pick them out based on steps 1-5? Are there any standout Jefferson’s expressions, or is it all marketing? The stakes are so low, the tension is palpable. ~~~~~~~~~~ Disclaimer: Starting this, I don’t much care for Jefferson’s in general. There’s this weird gummy-bear-ness that I can’t shake. Hoping to find my Jefferson’s product by the time this is over. ~~~~~~~~~~ JO Wheated, aka “Step 4” Voyage 19, for those counting. It’s very interesting that this wheated mashbill contains less rye than the standard Jefferson’s Ocean, because this little guy smells far more strongly of a rye whiskey. It smells salty, briny, and pickled. There’s a hint of jam on that nose, which makes me concerned, but it’s far from the dominant scent. Body delivers on that nose. It’s weird that you can toggle the switch, alternating between syrupy sweet jelly and saltiness, but that is exactly what this calls for you to do. Some sips are so sweet it makes your jaw turn. Others taste dry and bitter with salt. Pickles too. With effort I can force myself to taste the profile I choose, though I can’t quite force both simultaneously. I have to give my tongue a break. If I’m choosing my own jelly adventure, this finish is almost nonexistent. It’s low heat, charred oak flavor. Slightly nutty. Over very quickly. If I’m taking route 10 to rye-city, that brininess really sticks with you on the back of your tongue. It’s salty and bitter, and it lingers. Again, I can choose which finish I want by choosing the body I want to focus on, both flavors and duration. It’s freaking weird. So this is clearly a complex whiskey, but not in the award-winning sense. It’s a true head scratcher. Wheated bourbons just don’t taste like this. If you’ve seen the optical illusion of the gold/blue dress or heard the auditory illusion of yanny/laurel, here’s your gustatory illusion. I can’t see a scenario where I’m reaching for this as a nightcap, because it’s far less pleasant than it is fascinating. Yet I am genuinely excited to inflict this on my friends and see what they taste. I wouldn’t buy this again, but I might buy a future wheated voyage out of curiosity. As for comparing this to voyage 17: such a goal was simply an experimental design flaw born out of ignorance. 17 blows this out of the water, and it isn’t close. When it comes to tasting notes, there’s no more point to comparing 17 to 19 than there is 17 to Booker’s. They are completely different animals. Additionally, this batch does not make me reminisce about a warm sunny day at the beach. The power of suggestion does not compel.

I have to judge this on being a wheater. It is exceptionally smooth and avoids the wheater funk that ruins a lot of attempts at wheated bourbon. The nose is sugary, almost syrupy. Some warm baking spices and white pepper. Light cherry and a slight hint of ripe apple. On the palate it is really sweet and sugary like cane syrup. Fruit is difficult to find on the palate, but the warm baking spices do show up in the middle and warm through the end revealing the pepper and slight oak. It is a pleasant mouthfeel but is not very oily. The finish is medium short with baking spices giving way to cane sugar. Despite the other reviews that you might read this is not a long finish bourbon. I like the Jefferson’s Ocean series. It is reliably good and an easy drinker, plus it is a fun and unique concept. This bottle is not bad, but you can do a lot better with your $70-80. But let’s be honest, no one buys this for value. It is a unique and somewhat difficult to find bottle, so if you find one buy it. After all there are not too many bourbon offerings that give you an “experience.” So pop it open, pour a glass, and sit back and enjoy the voyage.

Frightening how a change of glass can reveal such different properties. The tumbler glass with a narrow neck I used revealed a nose bursting of dulce de leche and vanilla. A little bit of oak and Graham crackers followed. On the palate finds a bursting of tiramisu, amaretto, mascarpone cream, and vanilla with a little oak. The finish reveals root beer and sweet cream. Quite an exquisite dessert.

Earthy tobacco and wheat on the nose. The flavor is more of the same, possibly with a little hay on the finish. Smooth and moderately oily mouth feel. Not a bad whiskey, but I expect a little more depth of flavor from a bottle at this price point. (caveat: I've recently recovered from a sinus infection, so my smell and taste may not be back to normal yet)

Unpopular opinion because of their cost, but for the most part I have really enjoyed the Jefferson’s voyages and this one was great. Very light with a hint of butterscotch, smooth vanilla, and light burn after that warms the chest. If I find another bottle, I’ll buy again for sure.

This may be my favorite. I've gone through 3 bottles now. Probably won't purchase a fourth, just because of its price point of low $70s. But as smooth as anything I've ever had. Very distinctive, if not unique. I will miss this when my last bottle is gone (which may be tonight).