Review #235: Nashville Barrel Company 20yr Bourbon

MASH BILL: 84% corn, 8% rye, 8% malted barley

AGE: 20 yr

PROOF: 126.3

COST: $280 for 750mL bottle (I’m reviewing a sample)

This is the continuation from my last three reviews where I’m exploring a few pours that have a more prominent “mineral” note in an attempt to train my palate to be able to pick up on those notes more easily. What we have here is a single barrel pick by Nashville Barrel Company of a 20 year bourbon (all hints point at Dickel) that never went through the Lincoln County Process (LCP). If you’re not familiar with the LCP, this is essentially what makes a bourbon “Tennessee whiskey.” The Lincoln County Process is a filtration method prior to barreling. It requires the whiskey to be dumped and filtered through charcoal chips before going into casks for aging. Similar to how all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon, all Tennessee whiskey is bourbon, but not all bourbon is Tennessee whiskey. Now, if we’re really getting down to the brass tax, Tennessee whiskey isn’t recognized as an official category of whiskey at the federal level in the USA (though it is recognized in Canada, but only as “whiskey produced in the state of Tennessee”). However, in 2013, the Tennessee governor signed a bill into state law requiring whiskey that is being labeled as “Tennessee whiskey” to be distilled in Tennessee, meet all the requirements of “bourbon,” and be filtered through maple charcoal (with some very specific and limited exceptions). So, there you have it! Since the definition of bourbon doesn’t take exception to the filtration process, Tennessee whiskey is bourbon. Prove me I’m wrong! 😋

Now, what I’m doing in this review is trying to home in on the mineral notes of this whiskey. With Dickel being known for their minerally notes, I should be able to pick it up here like I have the past couple of reviews, albeit somewhat faint at times. However, with this particular whiskey having not gone through the LCP, I’m curious as to whether the mineral notes will be more muted since I imagine the LCP would enhance those earthy, minerally notes. Only one way to find out!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: A dark molasses color (1.9), very oily looking on the side of the glass.

NOSE: Oaky and dark sweetness. This is quite different from the past 3 reviews on the nose in that the woodiness that comes with the age shows up right away. I think this is in large part due to it not being diluted at all versus the last 3 reviews. Big old oak notes and dark brown sugar, almost molasses even, are front and center. Maple syrup and ripe cherry pop as well. White pepper and leather weave in and out of the dark, woody sweetness. When I give this a swirl in my glass, it unlocks a gritty mineral note that was otherwise fairly hidden. However, once I picked this up, I can now get this right at the beginning as I approach the glass to nose it before being overwhelmed with the dark sweetness.

PALATE: Thick, coating mouthfeel. Coming off the nose, I was surprised how the old oak was more subdued on the palate in exchange for more sweetness. Molasses, Luxardo cherry syrup, and vanilla leadoff. Cinnamon Red Hots continue the sweetness while bringing spice. Maple syrup is abundantly clear the longer I hold this on my palate. Heavily charred oak and baker’s chocolate show up late and transition into the finish. When I give this a good chew, it really brings out more caramelized oak notes and a hints of cherry and a chalky minerality.

FINISH: Medium length finish. Again, I’m surprised after the nose how light the tannic notes are here. Cherry syrup and subtle oak notes transfer from the palate along with that slightly bitter baker’s chocolate. The vanilla and heavily caramelized sugars from the palate become more homogenous like a bite of Crème Brulé would be. A touch of cinnamon powder brings some spice. Flame kissed orange peel and a touch of maple syrup show up late and are dismissed early while the soft oak, bitter chocolate, and caramelized sugars carry this to a close.

RATING: 8.5/10

OVERALL: What a pour! This was a fantastic show of 20 years of aging and at cask strength with all the barrel character your heart could desire without being overly tannic at all. When you think about most high aged bourbons, they’re usually proofed down to make them more approachable so that it doesn’t feel like you’re chewing on a chunk of oak. This, however, was perfectly aged! It actually messed with my head in that based on the nose I was expecting a lot more oak throughout this sip, but the dark sweetness that I adore was at every turn along the way. As far as the minerality, definitely present on the nose, virtually non-existent on the palate and finish. If it wasn’t something I was intentionally hunting for, I would say it wasn’t present, but I did get subtle hints of it on the palate with chewing. Based off this single data point, I’m going to say this confirms my suspicion that the Lincoln County Process helps punctuate that minerally note, which I think makes a lot of sense if you think about what charcoal tastes like (…you mean you haven’t tasted charcoal before? Go live a little.) Overall, this was an excellent pour! When this bottle was first released, I had seen a few reviews of it and was hoping I would get a chance to try it one day. I really appreciate Mike from Mostly Bourbon for letting me experience this sip. Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that Nashville Barrel Company rarely misses on their barrel picks. Price point…yeah, it’s expensive. But damn they are good at picking killer barrels!

 

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