Sorry Chad, I had to get in here and write this up. This is our first internal review of a whiskey and it is for good reason!
This distillery was sent to me by a good friend and I was immediately drawn to the bottle shape. What could it be! It looks so familiar! Well, ill save that for last because it is not the highlight of this Bourbon.
Thirteenth Colony is Georgia's original craft distillery. In 2009, they opened in Americus, GA which surprisingly made them the first legal distillery in Georgia since prohibition. Think about that for a second, since 1933, after 13 years of violence, likely brain washing, and the destruction of the whiskey coulture in America, it was still another 76 years (which many would call a lifetime) before Thirteenth Colony opened their doors.
The master distiller Graham Arthur has spent his life curating masterpieces in the culinary world after graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Atlanta. Graham spent 12 years exploring the world of cuisine in many notable restaurants in Atlanta and Charleston, SC before coming to Thirteenth Colony. He is also a veteran, and as you know, that pulls a lot of weight around here.
The Sour Mash Bourbon Whiskey is a wheated mash bill, aged in new charred oak barrels, along with the other ABC's required to be awarded the title of bourbon and is created with water sourced from Georgias oldest aquifer, which is naturally filtered by the limestone and dolomite created during the Paleocene and early Miocene periods some 56 million years ago. So, look at that! Georgia heat for aging limestone filtered water. Look out Kentucky! A new contender has entered the ring.
As with any local, craft, or small distillery. I approached this bottle with the expectation of being let down, but also an open mind to find some characteristic that I will be blown away by. Well, now you know why I am here.
This bourbon is very, very tasty and hits every note I would expect it to hit with a wheated mash bill. You know us, we don't like to taint your pallet, we just want you to try it!
However!
Distilled in Wyoming: Not a lot of options here, but we do know that Wyoming Whiskey started as wheated bourbon distillery, so that is a likely guess.
Mashbill: I didn't directly see one listed, but if it is the Wyoming Wheated you can expect its close to their 68% Corn, 20% Wheat and 12% Malted Barley
Nose: Sweet wheat, caramel, medium oak, hint of nuttiness and maybe we can call it cherry
Palate: Corn, Vanilla, Caramel, the usual suspects show up which are very pleasing
Finish: This is where the money comes in. Heavy oak and spice with some nuttiness and brown sugar.
Very much enjoyed this bourbon and I am excited to try their other AND future expressions. Oh and the bottle, that's right! Birthday Bourbon.
Hope you all have a swell day and keep an eye out for this in your local store! It is worth the pickup
Cheers,
Matt