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Please read and drink responsibly.
Classification: Straight Bourbon Finished in Cabernet Sauvignon Casks
Company: Tommyrotter Distillery
Distillery: Sourced from an undisclosed distillery(ies) in Indiana
Release Date: Ongoing
Proof: 95
Age: NAS
Mashbill: Undisclosed percentages of corn, wheat, rye, and malted barley
Color: Deep Amber
MSRP: $50 / 750mL (2023)
Raisin | Dark fruit | Black cherry | Plum | Good intensity
Plum | Warm spice | Vanilla | Seasoned oak | Burnt brown sugar
Prune | Leather | Slightly dry | Decent length & intensity
Don’t overlook this “yet another wine-finished bourbon,” as Tommyrotter manages to get it right where so many others fail.
The history of the Tommyrotter Distillery namesake is interesting, as according to the company, “the Tommyrotters’ Club was a band of rebellious artisans in the early 20th century who broke rank from the Arts and Crafts Movement to create for creation’s sake. They sought adventure, mischief, and inspiration in nature. Honoring their industrious spirit of back, hand and heart, Tommyrotter Distillery crafts small batch spirits.”
Tommyrotter Distillery is located in Buffalo, New York, and is a small non-distiller producer (NDP) who has earned a reputation using Napa Valley winery barrels to finish their sourced whiskeys. Tommyrotter Napa Valley Heritance Cask consists of three separate straight bourbons that were combined to form their four grain mashbill. The blend was finished in Taub Family Selections’ Heritance Cabernet Sauvignon French oak barrels from Rutherford, California for 3 months.
Sourcing wine barrels from Napa Valley makes a ton of sense simply from a name recognition and quality standpoint, but there’s no shortage of wine finished bourbons on the market, especially from NDPs. To my pleasant surprise, Tommyrotter Napa Valley Heritance Cask succeeds where so many wine finished bourbons fail. All too often they are overly dry, astringent, and over-finished, but Tommyrotter manages to nicely dial theirs in with a good deal of precision.
Throughout its sip, Tommyrotter Napa Valley Heritance Cask provides more intensity than its 95 proof point suggests. This is a flavorful finished bourbon, but at no point does it taste overdone. That’s incredibly important, and an aspect that I’d say the majority of wine finished bourbon producers get wrong. The bourbon is only slightly dry, and thanks to its delicate sweetness and fullness of flavor, most will find it to be quite an enjoyable pour. Though I’d like a bit more complexity and age from its base blend, it's hard to argue against what it gets right.
