Traverse City Whiskey Co. has a solid lineup of core products, 9 to be precise, but what’s the fun in only releasing the same whiskies repeatedly? They recently released a new trio of Wine Casked Whiskies; two Bourbon’s and a Rye, each finished in a different type of wine.
Their standard five-year Bourbon is finished in Ruby Port Barrels, their 100% Rye is aged for over 5 years and then is finished in Cab Franc barrels (Cabernet Franc is the parent grape to both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon wines). Last, but certainly not least, is their High Rye Bourbon, also aged for over 5 years, this was put into PX barrels! I’m probably most excited about the high rye, ‘cuz I love a PX cask finish!
One bit of housekeeping before we move on: I received these samples compliments of Traverse City and their PR agency in exchange for my honest feedback and review. While life would be much easier if I was on the take like a dirty cop, I’m not, and all my reviews are honest. The presence or absence of a media sample never affects the outcome. That said, I need a drink…
Let’s start with the Cab Franc Finished Rye. This was put into the barrel for first maturation on March 24, 2017, at 123 proof, and was dumped on May 11, 2021. Then it went into a Cabernet Franc barrel from Leelanau, Michigan for 22 months and was bottled at 97.5 proof. One quick note, I do not particularly enjoy rye whiskey so my tasting notes for this expression are gonna be pretty weird.
Appearance: In the glass, this is a nice brown leather with some orange undertones.
Nose: The typical rye spice, while present, is dampened by the wine cask finish. There’s also an earthy/mustiness that leads into notes of cocktail cherries.
Palate: Wow this is a weird palate. It’s got the funk of a whiskey distilled before the 1980s, but it also has a “sour dirt” taste. Like imagine the taste of dirt and sour candy combined, that’s what this reminds me of. On the back of the palate, you get that typical rye spice with a touch of red wine sweetness.
Next up let’s go to their Port Barrel Finished Bourbon. This was barreled on July 22, 2015, at 119.81 proof, and then dumped on October 6, 2020 and transferred to a Ruby Port barrel where it sat for 15 months until it was bottled at 100 proof.
Appearance: In the glass, this is almost copper coloured.
Nose: While present, the port isn’t overly powerful on the nose it reminds me of jaffa cakes. Once you get past the jaffa cake, there’s a hint of what can only be described as silly putty, as well as a lot of oak.
Palate: The palate explodes with chocolate and spiced fruit which is immediately followed by a blast of supercharged sour coating. The port is acting almost like a protective coating around all the other typical Bourbon flavours; vanilla, chocolate, oak, cherry, and butterscotch. All of those flavours are still there, but they’re encompassed by the finish.
Last but not least, let’s taste the PX Sherry Cask High Rye Bourbon! As I said above, I’m a sucker for PX so I’m very excited for this one. Made with 36% rye in the mashbill this was barreled on September 26, 2015, at 113.42 proof and was then dumped on October 20, 2020, before being put into PX for 28 months!
Appearance: Of the three so far, this has the darkest hue. It almost looks like a glass of straight PX sherry, but not quite that dark.
Nose: Maple syrup, milled oats, powdered cacao, subtle notes of mango followed by strawberries and cream.
Palate: It’s like taking a bite out of an English cookie, tastes kinda “mealy” though the finishing cask lends it a nice sweet back note. There is a surprising amount of black pepper in this whiskey, but that’s slightly offset by a mellowed PX sweetness. This whiskey reminds me of Knott’s Strawberry Shortbread cookies.