Corn syrup | Light pear | Fresh cut oak | Touch of red berries | Faint vanilla | Dried leaves

Vanilla | Thin syrup | Light rye spice | Pear | Watered down cinnamon | Mixed berries | Thin mouthfeel

Rye spice | New oak | Vanilla | White peppercorn | Faint corn syrup | Short

Next Century Spirits is a company headquartered in Zebulon, North Carolina, and states that their “patented process optimizes the cask finishing of spirits. By carefully monitoring the conditions inside of barrels or oak containers such as new oak, bourbon, sherry, port, and others, [they] can help control and modulate the flavors imparted on the base spirit. Temperature, humidity, alcohol content, toast/char level, and the interactions between natural vapor or liquid phases of the distillate are accessed and modified in real-time.” The company has both in-house brands such as Bear Fight, and also works on a contract basis, producing whiskeys for other brands.

For their latest limited release, Next Century Spirits utilizes Calvados and port finishing barrels with their base bourbon. Little information about the product is provided, with age, finishing time, and mashbill all remaining undisclosed. The sip itself is interesting, as you’re greeted with bold corn syrup and faint fresh oak to kick things off. Moving to the midpoint reveals vanilla with thin syrup and watered down cinnamon notes, while pear and mixed berries try to save the thin mouthfeel afforded by it. The finish wraps things up in short order with rye spice, new oak, and vanilla coming and going quickly, while a faint corn syrup note brings things full circle to how Bear Fight Orchard & Vine Bourbon started off.

The Calvados and port barrels have less of a bold impact than might be expected for those who are more familiar with these types of finishing barrels. Instead, the bourbon comes across as youthful with only a slight influence from its final resting barrels. In the end, this corn syrup forward tasting whiskey has a hard time standing out in a crowded finished bourbon space.