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Please read and drink responsibly.
Classification: Straight Bourbon Finished in White Port Casks
Company: Chattanooga Whiskey Co.
Distillery: Chattanooga Riverfront Distillery
Release Date: February 2024
Proof: 95
Age: 5 Years (Includes over 2 years finishing in white port casks)
Mashbill: Blend of three bourbon mashbills:
-B005: Yellow Corn, Malted Wheat, Oak Smoked Malted Wheat, Caramel Malted Wheat
-SB091: Yellow Corn, Malted Rye, Caramel Malted Barley, Honey Malted Barley
-RI8016: Yellow Corn, “Green” Malted Barley, Malted Red Wheat
Color: Amber
MSRP: $60 / 750mL (2024)
Chocolate | Butterscotch | Honey | Cherry | Pear | Apricot | Peach | Toasted oak
Cherry pie | Strawberry | Raisin | Mixed nuts | Light malt
Sweet oak | Strawberry rhubarb | Orange | Barrel char | Touch of smoke | Light acidity
Though it might be a less common type of wine barrel finish, and its 2 years finishing time might seem extreme, the sip speaks for itself: Chattanooga White Port Cask Finish hits at every level.
Chattanooga Whiskey has been quietly churning out a number of highly inventive finished whiskeys over the past few years, but it's their wine finished releases that have continually hit their mark. Chattanooga’s Silver Oak Cabernet Cask Oak release took us by complete surprise, and more recently, their Centenary Cask release, which was their high malt bourbon finished in a 100 year old Oloroso sherry cask, was especially effective. They’re quickly following up that release with this White Port Finished Bourbon that once again makes a strong case they are doing wine finished whiskey just as good, or if not better, than anyone else.
This release sees a combination of unique mash bills - each containing at least 25% specialty malt - finished in white port barrels from the Carrazeda de Ansiães region of the Douro Valley in Portugal. According to Chattanooga, this region “yields ports with rich and fruity aromatic complexity.” While that sounds like a line you’ve probably heard before to describe the quality of a company’s finishing barrels, the proof is in the sip.
Chattanooga White Port Cask Finish opens with a very flavorful chocolate and butterscotch forward aroma that features layers upon layers of fruity scents. The result is an aroma that is truly exceptional. The palate is more streamlined and focused, centered around cherry pie, strawberry, and raisin, with a light maltiness on the tail end. The finish offers a sweet oak foundation upon which rich strawberry rhubarb and orange dominate. With a touch of barrel char, smoke, and acidity, the finish offers wonderful depth.
With a wealth of port-finished bourbons on the market, it is hard to get overly excited about a new one. Though the use of white port casks is rarer to see in a finished bourbon, it is hard not to assume it's simply marketing fluff rather than a dramatic change of pace. Leave it to Chattanooga Whiskey to prove us wrong, as Chattanooga White Port Cask Finish is one of their best finished bourbons yet.
Bottle in review is from batch number 24A14R.
