This wood and barrel toast strategy drives powerful flavors and aromas. The nose is surprisingly vibrant for its 107 proof. The whiskeys’ 9 to 10 year age range emboldens the nose considerably with bruleed sugar, warm brownies, charred oak and overripe apples.
Since Maker’s makes no bad whiskey, what’s in the bottle is good sipping whiskey. Not a fault with it. But I prefer the two others in the Wood Finishing Series, The Keepers and The Heart, better.
The Tamworth Apple Brandy’s nose starts off with toasted oak, cedar, cinnamon and some discernible fruit. The palate fares better with light fruit, elegant body and a long and lingering finish. But there’s nothing about it that screams apple brandy. Am I wrong to want that?
This is neither a showy whiskey with cask-finished flavor vectors nor a particularly powerful pour. It’s an honest, approachable, full-bodied bourbon that makes old school drinkers say, “Now that’s bourbon!” It’s the kind of whiskey Booker Noe liked and wanted to share with others.
Once the liquid eased below the shoulders of that glass Old Grand Dad-style bottle, it did come round and begin waking up. Dark stone fruits appeared on the nose, along with white pepper, cigar leaf, oak and flamed citrus.
It’s not often you get to taste the flavor evolution of one of your favorite products, especially if your favorite hails from a heritage distillery. I’ve been an early adopter of Wilderness Trail, and the ability to taste – in real time – the arc of one of my favorite brands is incredible.
Saying it’s not a complex bourbon is not a sleight, rather it’s a nod to whiskies that present as lean, lithe and elegant–which is no small feat for liquid resting 10 years in oak. In a world of double-oaked wood and tannin bombs, this measured approach is much appreciated.
My shifting preferences also point out how delicious and keenly unique every batch of Cellar Aged actually is. And that has me thinking … Maybe that $174.99 price tag isn’t as high as I initially thought.
If you’re curious about how its blending team landed on 92 proof, Rift said she and her colleagues weren’t happy with higher-proof iterations. When samples dipped below 100, it came alive, so they kept proofing it downward.
On the palate, it’s clearly rye whiskey: slightly spicy, appropriately grainy and familiarly minty and dill-y. Its texture is what’s unique: warm, soft and slightly viscous, not at all lean like many ryes.
