Fresh ginger | Pickled ginger | Slightly vegetative | Very faint oak

Ginger spice | Syrup | Fresh ginger

Ginger spice | Sweet syrup | Light dry oak

JD Recobs and Chris Buglisi grew up as childhood friends in Montclair, New Jersey. Starting in 2013, the pair spent the next four years developing their signature Misunderstood Ginger Spiced Whiskey. Launched in 2017, the company describes Ginger Spiced as “Made with real good whiskey and real good ginger! Misunderstood is a blend of select bourbon and American whiskey, aged in American oak barrels, & finished with two types of real ginger for an award-winning, refreshingly distinct smooth taste.”

As expected, a whiskey with ginger spice in the name delivers, well, exactly that. Fresh ginger and ginger spice is the name of the game throughout the sip - so much so that very few other flavors are able to come through. The whiskey also has a syrupy undertone to it which gives it an artificial feeling and seems out of place. That said, the company is upfront in stating that the whiskey is made with natural ginger flavor and natural coloring, so the possibility of this being a ginger syrup that was added to the base whiskey wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility. There’s nothing wrong with a ginger spiced whiskey delivering on its namesake, however, what it misses is the whiskey portion in the sip. I would have expected more of a blend of a base low proof whiskey with ginger versus a ginger and syrupy sip. This might be fun for those looking to add a twist to their favorite whiskey cocktail, but as a standalone whiskey pour, it falls a bit short.