Widow Jane 10 Year Straight Bourbon

Tried it in a restaurant before I bought a bottle and it was fantastic. Rich, creamy, mouth-coating, well balanced and bursting with flavors. Bottle 348 from batch 1026 that I brought home in Jan 2024 was none of those things when I opened it the following week. It was hot, bitter, dry, overly spicy and ridiculously woody. I considered dumping it and chalking up the loss, but it was an $80 bottle and that still matters to me. So I put it back in the cabinet and every few months I’d take a dram, only to again be disappointed. After 8 months, I finally thought it was ok enough that I added 2 oz to my infinity bottle (which has contributions from Very Old Bartons, Old Tub, and Evan Williams, amongst the other mid and top-shelf pours) hoping it probably wouldn’t ruin the whole thing. Tonight, I saw the bottle had worked its way back toward the front and with less than 4oz remaining, I decided it was time for a review. But this review wasn’t what I expected to write. I poured the glass and gave a swirl out of habit, only to notice the legs for the first time…they weren’t there before, I promise you. I also couldn’t smell it without putting my nose in the Glencairn. Previously, imprudent nosing would hurt worse than snorting horseradish. Now it presents brown sugar and caramel and pecan pie and black cherries and waxy honeycomb and blueberry compote. Dare I hope the palate would be similarly transformed by extended exposure to air? Having been burned so many times before, I did not hold out much hope. But I was wrong. This is actually (now) (finally) good. Legitimately good. It is rich, creamy, velvety-smooth, rolling up my tongue with sweet goodness and not a hint of heat. Caramel, apple pie, blackberry, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, bing cherries and dried apricot dance across the palate from front to back. It is sweet, but doesn’t present to me as unbalanced despite the lack of tannins or alcohol astringency. A wonderful dessert drink. So why the middling score? Because I think an $80 bottle of bourbon should taste like this from the very first pour. The change is so dramatic that I can’t help but consider it a flaw in the product. It already had 10 years in the cask-it should not require an additional year of oxidation before it is palatable. I might still have it in a bar if the bottle is mostly empty, but I won’t be bringing another bottle home.

Served: Neat 1oz - Dribble of water Notes: Immediately get rich cherry and almond, then a light orange note, and it finishes with graham and carmel. Extremely rich and decently oily. Comments: You can tell that this bourbon has some age on it by it’s sweetness and the smooth transition between notes. I have had more viscous bourbon, and there is almost no spicey-ness to it. Then again, I like rye. On other reviews, no one else got carmel or graham cracker, so maybe that’s just me. It’s unique, too sweet for me, and somehow not unique enough for the price. Unless you are searching for a sweet and fruit filled bottle, I think this is worth tasting but not buying. If it were slightly more complex and lower price, I would consider picking up a bottle. $75+ is a stretch, but that’s just my subjective notes. I ordered a glass, so I dont know the batch number.

I was out tonight and was able to try a few Bourbons that I have been curious about for quite a while, yet never pulled the trigger on: Lost Republic, Wilderness Trail, and Widow Jane 10 Year... Of these three, Wilderness Trail was the winner. But we're talking about Widow Jane here, so... It's hard for me to give a focused and detailed review when I am out. I need a more "controlled" environment where I can really zero-in on the nose, palate and finish. But suffice to say, this is good bourbon. There's nothing that really stands out to me, but it's decent... good flavor and nothing off putting. It deserves a purchase, and perhaps I WILL buy a bottle and be able to offer a more informative review.

Color - amber Nose - brown sugar, cherry, vanilla, and oak Palate - vanilla, butterscotch, oak, baking spices, and the slightest hint of cherry. Finish - medium. The finish is satisfying, as the sweetness of the vanilla/butterscotch clings on. Overall - For a 10 year bourbon, this bottle scratches an itch that Eagle Rare probably could (if I could get a bottle of ER). For the price, I probably won't buy this bourbon again - it's not hitting notes that make me want to drop $80 for a 750mL bottle. Good? Yes. But for me, not exceptional.

(Batch 7 / Bottle 15 / 2021 Release) An intense, 'single batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey by the Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn, New York aged for 10 years in charred American oak & bottled at 48.5% abv. It has an aromatic birth with notes of grains, fruits, nuts, wood & spices; while a bold life adds notes of sweet corn, vanilla, orange, cherry, almond & maple; that led to a long & spicy death with notes of charred oak, cinnamon & nutmeg. December 2021 / August 2022

An intense, very small batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey by the Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn, New York aged for 10 years in charred American oak. It has a rich birth with notes of corn, oak, vanilla, hints of apples & raisins; while a dry & balanced life adds notes of corn, vanilla, orange, cherry & char; that led to a bold & tannic death with notes of orange, chocolate & spice. May / September 2019 / June 2020 / May 2021 / August 2022