Jewish Whisky Company Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 15yo (special Whisky Jewbilee bottling) (61.3%): I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to score a bottle of this very limited edition
bourbon of Jewish Whisky Company a.k.a.
Single Cask Nation. It is a single barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon distilled by
Heaven Hill Distilleries in September 1998 and bottled specially for
Whisky Jewbilee in September 2013. The label doesn't give the info how many bottles the cask yielded but it is bottled at 122.6 proof. Nice label by the way, I really liked the guy with the silver
kippah...
Color: Beautiful dark amber with a distinctive deep ruby hue, like red mahogany.
Nose: Getting lost in piles of National Geographic magazines from 70's found in a second hand bookstore. Butcher's bowling alley wax and
Danish Oil finished vintage furniture. Soft baked molasses and clove cookies. Adding a few drops of water releases sweeter (and redder) aromas: brown sugar, brown rock candy, old leather doctors bag, dried cranberries and sour cherry juice.
Palate: Surprisingly sour start! Pomegranate molasses, balsamic vinegar and high proof barrel aged Caribbean rum. To be honest I very much enjoyed this rum like quality. Water addition pulls it back to the bourbon side: Fruity... Red fruits I already got at the nose are all there but with more citrusy additions this time: Dried sour cherry, candied orange zest and crystallized ginger. More like a rye whiskey than a bourbon now. Spicy and bold.
Finish: Goes forever with tri-color peppercorns, dried strawberries and cherry almond chocolate.
Overall: I have to say that they nailed it again... To be honest I was pretty skeptical about the price tag of this bottle just a little above $100 but I am so close to admit now that it was worth it. It is a beautiful bourbon with great complexity. With every drop of water and with every minute you allow it to breathe you peel another layer of goodness. This is a bourbon demanding your time and attention from you. It is almost impossible to socialize, watch a game or listen to music when you sip it. I wish I had a fireplace to sit in front of with this bottle and spend the entire night just listening to the juice in the glass...
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