Cherry | Apricot | Grape | Vanilla | Maple | Sweet oak

Black cherry | Grape | Plum | Touch of apricot | Cherry | Sweet oak

Plum | Grape | Red fruits | Seasoned oak | Touch dry

Blue Note Bourbon is located in Memphis, Tennessee, and currently sources much of its whiskey from Green River Distilling, but also from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Indiana as well. Over the years, they have released a range of finished whiskeys, with their honey-finished bourbon and rye releases being standouts. In 2023, the company released its first Special Reserve Cask Finish Series, which blew the doors off what people expected from the company, as it ambitiously blended six finished whiskeys with a straight bourbon. The results spoke for themselves.

Blue Note upped the challenge for their 2025 Special Reserve Cask Finish Series release, blending 10 different finished whiskeys. Though the average age has dropped for this release, with a blend this complicated, few, if any, will even notice.

The whiskey opens with a beautifully layered aroma filled with so many scents that you could throw a dart at a flavor wheel and likely hit one that’s featured. One of the amazing things about this whiskey is that you’d expect its flavors to be muddy, but they remain relatively distinct throughout the sip, with some more pronounced than others.

As the whiskey’s color suggests and the taste confirms, the flavors skew towards darker fruits. On both the palate and finish, plum takes center stage, backed by black cherry and grape. This gives the sip a heavy feel in your mouth with its dense and complex flavor profile. Seasoned oak is found throughout, further grounding the sip. Moments of juicy fruit flavors can be found in the form of apricot, cherry, and a red fruit medley during the finish, which helps add dimension. The blend is also quite sweet, with the triple sec and apricot brandy components likely a contributing factor. Though the whiskey features a slightly dry aftertaste, thankfully, it doesn’t leave the funky taste that many wine-finished whiskeys tend to lean towards.

Few have offered a whiskey that’s this ambitious regarding its finished blended components. It’s likely such a tall task that many producers don’t even want to attempt such a project. However, with this release, Blue Note shows that their blending skills have rapidly improved and should be taken seriously. Fans of full-flavored whiskey who want more dimension in their finished whiskeys will likely love what this release accomplishes and the boundaries it utterly destroys in its path.

Blue Note Special Reserve Cask Finished Series (2025) is a 2,000 bottle release.