TX Straight Bourbon Review

This review was originally published at Bourbon & Banter on April 13, 2017.

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Firestone and Robertson Distilling Company
• MASH BILL: #2 Yellow Dent Texas Corn  |  Texas Winter Wheat  |  6-Row Distiller’s Malt  |  Yeast made from Texas pecan they call the “Brazos” strain. Percentages are not disclosed.
• AGE: Undisclosed, but since it is labeled Straight, that makes it at least two years old, and since there is no age listed, it must be at least four.
• YEAR: 2017
• PROOF: 90 (45% ABV)
• MSRP: $49.99
• NOSE: Cherries  |  Wheat  |  Light Oak

 

TASTE: Dry Wood  |  Spice  |  Corn

 

FINISH: The finish on this whiskey is very long; the wood and spice hang on and continue to build long after I’ve swallowed, getting warmer and warmer. It took nearly a minute for it to calm down. To be clear, this isn’t burn but spice and wood flavors. I’m not used to low-proof bourbon that continues to build like a cask strength bourbon.

 

SHARE WITH: Friends who like to Drink Curious and enjoy the big Wide World of Whiskey, or Proud Texans who love everything from Texas.

 

WORTH THE PRICE: There are a lot of incredible choices out there for $49.99. I realize this is a craft whiskey and that $49.99 is a sweet spot many distillers and marketers suggest for retail. However, I find that it is pricey for what is in the bottle.

 

BOTTLE, BAR, OR BUST: Bar, and then you’ll have to determine on your own if this is a profile you enjoy. Sure, I realize that’s a cop-out. This isn’t a bad bourbon; it isn’t stellar.

 

OVERALL: The bottle says it has dark fruits, caramel, and vanilla flavors. I picked up cherries, and that’s a dark fruit. I tried picking up caramel or vanilla, but it wasn’t there. I’ve been sipping on this bourbon for nearly a month, giving it plenty of time to oxidize and for other flavors to make themselves known. If the vanilla and caramel are there, they’re overwhelmed by the oak and spice.

 

When I cleansed my palate with dark chocolate and then took a sip, the chocolate muted the wood enough for me to start picking up vanilla. But not everyone carries around dark chocolate when sipping whiskey.

 

Finally, the bottle design is simply gorgeous. They’ve outdone themselves, all the way down to the snakeskin-covered cork. I know packaging means a lot to some folks. At many whiskey competitions, the packaging is a judged and awarded category.

 

 

 

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.