Traverse City XXX Straight Bourbon Whiskey

A little background

This product is bottled at 86 proof and comes in at a retail price of around $40. It is distilled by Traverse City Whiskey Co. in Traverse City, Michigan. The mash bill is 71% corn, 25% rye, and 4% malted barley. The whiskey is aged a minimum of 3 years and is unique because the company has been hard at work reconstructing and perfecting the recipe that has been in their family for three generations. The bourbon is hand-crafted in small batches.

(Tasted neat from a Cradle Glass)

Color

Amber

Nose

I really enjoyed the notes that this bourbon gives off on the nose. It is light and fruity with notes of cherry, blackberry, and caramel. The most prevalent and intriguing note to me though was a note that I could only think to describe as “juicy” as if you were about to bite into a fresh fruit or eat a mouthwatering candy.

Palate

The palate on this really let me down. It did not follow the notes of the nose at all. I thought the palate was flat and tasted young. Some of the notes that I was able to pull out were a hot spice, oak, tobacco, and juicy fruit. It wasn’t that the palate itself was all bad, it just wasn’t balanced or what I was expected based on the nose. Overall, the mouthfeel on this bourbon was thin and didn’t coat the palate.

Finish

The finish was short but had an aftertaste that lingered and was not necessarily pleasant. Besides the aftertaste, there were some nice notes of fresh fruits and allspice.

In conclusion

This whiskey does not taste like it smells but does have a fantastic nose; however, the palates and finish fall short for me. This is not something I personally enjoyed, but I am very interested to see if as this bourbon improves as it ages. If the palate and finish evolve to match the nose, this will be a fantastic offering in the future.