Orange zest | Summer fruits | Caramel | Some heat

Caramel | Stone fruit | Barrel char | Cinnamon | Allspice | Full-bodied with ample spice

Baking spices | Caramel | Seasoned oak | Apricot | Lingering spice

John Graves Mattingly’s Registered Distillery #2 was the first in Marion County, Kentucky in 1845. Jeff Mattingly, a sixth generation descendant of John Mattingly revitalized his family history as it relates to whiskey in 2009. Located in Frankfort, Kentucky, the distillery is known for its “Blend Your Own Bourbon Experience,” which allows consumers to blend and bottle their own personalized whiskey on-site. According to the company, “all of J. Mattingly 1845's whiskeys undergo its proprietary double-staving process, allowing the whiskey inside additional surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color than its competitors' offerings.” To celebrate the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby, the company released three limited small batch whiskeys, which all have undergone the same double-stave process.

J. Mattingly The Greatest Two Ounces in Bourbon does well bringing together a range of traditional bourbon flavors in a full-bodied pour. On the nose there is orange zest, summer fruit, and caramel, but the aroma is delivered with some heat. On the palate, caramel, stone fruit, and a hint of barrel char are quickly replaced with cinnamon and allspice, which pour over into the finish. As the spice settles, it turns more to a baking spice mix, with caramel, seasoned oak, and even some apricot peppering in, though spice remains powerful and lingers. It’s a dynamic pour that drinks higher than its proof, making for a potent and enjoyable sip overall, but just doesn’t deliver enough wow power to justify its price point.

The bottle in review is 101 out of 500.