Caramel | Vanilla | Oak | Cherry | Brandy | Mint

Cherry | Prune | Charred oak | Vanilla | Mild clove

Charred oak | Seasoned dry oak | Oak tannins | Leather | Lingering deep cherry notes

Traverse City Whiskey Co. is located in Michigan’s cherry heartland. They have always taken pride in their state’s heritage and incorporate cherries into their products whenever it seems fitting. They’ve released several batches of their Traverse City Bourbon infused with cherries before, but they partnered with Nashville Barrel Co for this release.

Traverse City Whiskey Co. sent Nashville Barrel Co. a barrel of their 6 year old cherry finished bourbon, which is usually made with MGP bourbon, and the “distilled in Indiana” on the bottle supports this fact. It was then aged for another year in Tennessee before it was blended with an additional Ross & Squibb Distillery (MGP) barrel.

Anyone who makes bourbon cocktails knows how well cherries go with bourbon. But in a bottled release, there is a fine line between being too overpoweringly sweet or too mild in their intensity. Traverse City Whiskey Co. takes their years of experience and puts it to great use.

You’ll first notice the whiskey’s color, which features a prominent reddish hue. Upon a pour, its aroma surprisingly puts forth caramel and vanilla ahead of its cherry scents - and that’s not a bad thing, as it suggests control. As such, the palate features cherry on its onset, with prune, charred oak, vanilla, and light clove providing balance. The finish offers more charred oak with touches of seasoned oak, leather, and mild oak tannins, with a lingering deep cherry note.

For the amount of cherry notes that can be tasted throughout this release, it’s surprising it isn’t sweeter than it is. It gives off the sense that it’s fighting to be sweeter than it is but doesn’t quite get there, with the addition of the second barrel blended in most likely being a high contributing factor. The cherry infusion gives the essence of the cherry flavor without also extracting a heavy amount of their natural sugars. The result is a whiskey that features a range of dense flavors. Additionally, it offers slight tartness, giving way to dry, light oak tannins. Fears that this would be an overly sweet cherry bomb, which would have more in common with a flavored bourbon than a properly infused one, can be put to rest.