Apricot | Peach | Black raspberry | Summer fruit slurry | Light

Fig | Black raspberry | Strawberry jam | Rye spice | Caramel | Light oak

Wave of soft heat | Dark fruit | Raisin | Astringent | Dry to a fault

Barton 1792 Distillery is back with another round of Thomas S. Moore finished whiskeys. The 2021 batch proved to be all over the map, with the Port Finished Bourbon receiving our best score of the bunch, and Cabernet Sauvignon Finished Bourbon being the most flawed. With the introduction of a Madeira Cask Finish in 2022, how does it fare?

A product exclusively made in the Madeira region of Portugal, Madeira wine ranges from dry to sweet and can resemble a tawny port. It’s a very specific type of wine, and as a result there are far less Madeira finished bourbons versus other wine finished bourbons being produced.

Bourbon finished in ex-Madeira wine casks has been hit or miss so far, and Barton’s Thomas S. Moore edition hits both high and low notes. While the aroma is a bit light, the whiskey opens up nicely on the palate, exhibiting an array of sweet fruit notes that combine with caramel and oak to form a pleasant and complex sip. Unfortunately, it transitions from the enjoyable fruit notes to a dry astringency that doesn’t completely ruin the experience, but pulls the whiskey back from its full potential. Most likely a result of its extra long finishing, catching it just right seems a difficult task, as the flavors hit so well in the palate but take a downturn in the finish. The whiskey will please those who appreciate a stronger wine finish, and don’t mind the dryness at the end.