New Southern Revival Sorghum Whiskey

The Bottle: Heavy. You could bludgeon someone to death with this thing… The base is nearly an inch of solid glass which gives it a very “rocks glass” kind of feel (reminds me of Kirk & Sweeney). The label has a crazy mix of different font faces, just shy of being over-the-top. There are some nice blurbs about the distillery itself as well as the spirit inside. In the Glass: Light bronze. On the Nose: Sweet and fruity. Banana, grain and a touch of boot polish? It’s 44% abv., but you can get your nose in here and not have any burn from the proof. Without seeing the label, it’d be hard not to think that this a rum! It smells nothing like any other American spirit that I’ve tried. Taste: This is totally a proper Sothern gentlemen vacationing in the Caribbean. Barbados with a bourbon backbone. The taste follows the nose very closely; a well-integrated tropical sweetness with a grain-heavy finish. You will want to add a few drops of water to this one given the abv., as it helps tame down some of the bitterness on the end. Everything with this happens fairly quickly; arrival, development and finish. This doesn’t have the heft for any real staying power after the sip is over, but I really don’t hold that against it. There’s no age statement on the bottle, but I’d be willing to bet that you could count on one hand the number of New Years Eve’s that this stuff spent in the cask. Honestly, I am often disappointed with a lot of the newer American whiskies that I’ve tried. Mostly, they usually just try to emulate the established big names (and often fail). A lot of this comes down to maturation and the rush to market. Occasionally though, you find one that’s trying to forge its own path. That’s what we have here. I’m not sure how common sorghum is as a base grain for a spirit, but it totally works. This isn’t trying to be a Jack Daniels or a Maker’s Mark. It’s so very different from the other offerings out there and you can tell that it has been put together by someone that knows what they are doing. It’s comfortable in its own skin, so-to-speak. As an aside, I purchased this when I visited the distillery recently and I had the privilege of trying out their Jimmy Red Corn Bourbon….and it may have been the best bourbon that I’ve ever tasted. It’s pricey, but I highly recommend it if you ever come across it.

Someone had this bottle and let me have a pour. The nose is straight up bananas foster. Hard to get past that. It’s unmistakable. The palate is sweet with a continuation of the nose with a sort of scotchy back end. Very short finish with a little burn. I will say it’s very unique, but it’s one of those “one glass ever and I’m good” sort of whiskeys, in my opinion.

As one might expect from a grain they use to make a molasses-type sweetener, this spirit is sweet sweet SWEET. I barely got a nose, just a light wash of sugar across the palate like sunlight through Spanish moss. Not sure about drinking this neat for any reason other than a change of pace, but it would make an incredible Manhattan.

I get some vanilla and caramel with a slow heat on the end. There is some biscuit taste as I have found in craft bourbons but just a touch. The last craft that I bought I took two sips and poured the rest down the drain. This bourbon is a keeper.

I'm at the distillery and the server really hates her life right now, definitely because of these clowns I'm with

very strange nose, unusual taste but very good, goes down smooth, not everyday drinker, but nice change of pace