Traverse City Whiskey Co. Barrel Proof Bourbon

A little background

Traverse City Whiskey Co. is in you guessed it, Traverse City Michigan.  The company was started by local Chris Fredrickson and his partners, Jared Rapp and Moti Goldring.  Today I am reviewing their 113.6 Barrel Proof Bourbon, which recently won Best Small Batch Bourbon at the San Francisco Spirits Competition. We all know these competitions are on the up and up (insert sarcasm Emoji) so I’m interested in giving this a try.  Retail price of $75.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn.)

Color

Light Copper

Nose

Floral potpourri, clove, allspice, lemon peel, and freshly cut hay. Very spicy and floral without much sweetness. 

Palate

Starts out with a small amount of cordial cherry sweetness that quickly transitions to citrus, allspice, clove, cinnamon, and cardamom.  More heat than I initially expected.  

Finish

The heat from the palate lingers for a few seconds then succumbs to an oaky toffee sweetness with a nice spice swell in the chest. 

In closing

This is my first experience of what the distillery dubs “The Whiskey of the North” and I am pretty impressed.  I know they were sourcing whiskey from MGP in Indiana while their distillate has been aging, so I am not sure if this is their distillate or sourced distillate. However, what we sampled does seem to be reminiscent of younger Indiana whiskey.  Either way, what we tried is good, but may bring a little too much heat for some palates. Is this the best small batch whiskey on the market today? No, but it is quite tasty.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Traverse City Whiskey Co.  We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review their wonderful bourbon.