BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER:
Undisclosed. Bottled by Bearcat Bourbon.
- MASH BILL:
Undisclosed. Rumored to be Kentucky Bourbon.
- AGE: NAS –
No Age Statement
- YEAR: 2018
- PROOF: 80 (40%
ABV)
- MSRP: $29.99,
available in Arkansas, Connecticut, Kansas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and
Wisconsin
NOSE: Orange
| Spice | Bitters | Cherry
TASTE: Orange
Bitters
FINISH: Long
and bitter
SHARE WITH: I’m
honestly not sure.
WORTH THE PRICE: No. $30
is a costly bottle of what is essentially orange bitters.
BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: As a
fan of Bourbon Old Fashioneds, I really wanted to enjoy this whiskey.
Unfortunately, the best thing about Bearcat Bourbon is the nose. This is the
least enjoyable pour I’ve tried so far in 2018, and as such, a Bust.
OVERALL: I came
across Bearcat Bourbon at Distill America this past February. Always
interested in something new, it caught my eye. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot
of background information on Bearcat Bourbon.
Bearcat Bourbon’s website
touts itself as “80-proof infused Bourbon whiskey created in honor of female
distillers, bootleggers, and industry innovators.” It is available in two
versions: Infused with Notes of Orange Peel and Spice or Infused with
Espresso and Aromatic Bitters.
In the glass, the
appearance is a pale orange amber. However, Bearcat Bourbon contains caramel
coloring. Swirling it in a Glencairn produces a thick rim with fat, watery
legs. After the initial legs drop back into the pool, the remainder sticks to
the sides of the glass.
Aromas of orange citrus
flood the air, even with the glass several feet away. Lifting the rim to chin
level brings only orange and spice to the nose. Raising the rim to lip level dramatically
reduces the orange; bitters are all picked up. Hovering directly under the
nostrils offers a slight cherry. It is as if there is the deconstruction of a
Bourbon Old Fashioned at three different levels. Inhaling through an open mouth
brings those ingredients together to make the Old Fashioned.
The mouthfeel is soft,
exactly as expected in this proof. However, what hits the palate is strictly
orange bitters. There is absolutely nothing else to speak of. I tried the
Kentucky chew, I tried throwing it back, and I tried just sipping. No other
flavors came forward.
The finish is long and
bitter, enough to almost bring a tear to my eye. I did not enjoy this at all.
I would be remiss if I
failed to point out that the bottle clearly states, “Serve it Straight.”
However, this was so bitter I added water, hoping to dilute the flavor.
To be entirely fair, I did
what I would do with any other whiskey – I added two drops of distilled water
using an eyedropper. That changed up the nose to very appealing cinnamon and
orange, with the cinnamon becoming more dominant the higher the rim was raised
from chin to nostrils. Unfortunately, the flavor did not change. It remained
offensively bitter.
As a final resort, I added
a healthy pour of distilled water. The aroma changed to almost pure orange, but
the bitterness, again, did not change. And, for the first time in my history of
composing whiskey reviews, I dumped the contents down the drain.
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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