Review #218: Blue Bolt NOVA Whiskey Club Pick “Savage’s Sacrifice”: Bourbon finished in Apple Brandy Barrels

MASH BILL: 72% corn, 17% rye, 11% malted barley 

AGE: 5yr + 11mo finishing

PROOF: 118.48 

COST: $80 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

A fellow enthusiast hooked me a up with a great Blue Bolt sample a while back. After finding out he had another Blue Bolt bottle but finished in apple brandy barrels, I knew it was something I would enjoy as I’m partial to apple brandy finished whiskeys. This is a 5 year and 4 day old bourbon from Crittenden Distillery in Kiln, MS and was finished for 11 months in an apple brandy barrel from Laird Distillery. This is the first time Blue Bolt finished a whiskey in apple brandy barrels.

Blue Bolt Spirits is dedicated to honoring the Marine Corps. This bottle is dedicated to Marine Lance Corporal Jeremiah E. Savage, who made the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 12^th, 2004.

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Auburn color (1.4), oily looking with medium bodied, fast legs, but a ring that clings to the glass as well.

NOSE: A fruity nose with sweet notes of caramel apple, honey, and apricot. Cinnamon and vanilla extract come after that initial sweetness. A little bubble gum and a touch of earthy grain is a pretty constant backdrop. A tad astringent, but it doesn’t prevent me from continuing to nose this.

PALATE: A thin mouthfeel and a bit prickly showing signs of the proof. Caramel corn and a touch of maraschino cherry syrup show up right away. I then get a wave of apple slices drizzled with honey and heavily dusted with cinnamon powder. The proof heat starts really building halfway through this sip and takes my breath away the first couple of sips but mellows out after a while. There’s a big yellow cake and vanilla frosting note before going into the finish.

FINISH: Short, sweet finish. The yellow cake and vanilla frosting notes carry over into the finish nicely. Honey drizzled apple slices, cinnamon stick, and charred oak build. A touch of baker’s chocolate. The vanilla, oak, and chocolate combine seamlessly to make a very nice singular profile to carry this to the end.

RATING: 6.3/10

OVERALL: Fruity sweetness dominates with some big vanilla notes and a nice cinnamon spice. This has unmistakable apple notes throughout that helps suggest the apple brandy barrel finish. I love the warm honey notes throughout as well. For a 5 year bourbon at 118+ proof, I was expecting it to have a bit of proof heat, and it did. That is probably holding it back a full point for me. I did try some of this sample with a dash of water to help cut the proof heat some and it did a lot for this dram. I think 107-110 proof would have been an excellent spot to showcase this whiskey.

1 | Disgusting | see my 1/10 ratings

2 | Poor | see my 2/10 ratings

3 | Bad | see my 3/10 ratings

4 | Sub-par | see my 4/10 ratings

5 | Good | see my 5/10 ratings

6 | Very Good | see my 6/10 ratings

7 | Great | see my 7/10 ratings

8 | Excellent | see my 8/10 ratings

9 | Incredible | see my 9/10 ratings

10 | Perfect | see my 10/10 ratings