The nose is clearly reminiscent of wine. Berry. Grape. Sweet fruit juice. The palate tastes like the previously mentioned notes and not much else. Dark berry, more specifically. It finishes on just some slight oak. There was a bit of tartness there, which was pleasant. It's a fruit bomb. Not much other than that is present, which is perfectly fine. This is more than a suitable bottle for many occasions. It's certainly easy drinking. It lacks some noticeable complexity, but it's still an experiment that Im glad the distillery went for.
About this bottle
This whiskey is one of three releases in Traverse City Whiskey Co.'s "Finishing Series." Each of the three feature a TCWC different whiskey with a unique barrel finish up to 12 months. This Cab Franc Finish begins with a five year-old 100% straight rye whiskey followed by a finishing of nearly 12 months in former cabernet franc wine from a Michigan winery. The other two bottlings are a Port Barrel Finish Bourbon and a Sherry Barrel Finish High-Rye Bourbon. These three whiskeys are available at TCWC's tasting rooms and online as of March 2023. (SRP $59.99)
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 3 parsed reviews.
The nose has plenty of caramel, brown sugar and toasted marshmallow. But the tasting is altogether remarkable, with an immaculate blending of spicy rye, and moody Cab Franc. The mouthfeel is light, but pervasive, with the penetrating spice of a dark seeded rye toast. The finish completes things with a quite dry bittersweet cocoa end. A true gem of a whiskey.
Tastes like it smells, like wine...
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.