The A. Smith Bowman Distillery is Virginia's oldest, tracing its roots to before Prohibition. Originally distilled in Sunset Hills on the family dairy farm and granary, the Bowmans used their excess grain to distill spirits. In 1934, the Bowmans built a state-of-the-art distillery at Sunset Hills Farm. Then, in 1988, a new distillery was constructed near Fredericksburg.
A. Smith Bowman doesn't do large-scale distilling. In fact, if you visit the campus, you'd consider it a micro-distillery more than anything else. Owned by Sazerac (the parent company of Buffalo Trace and Barton), Bowman takes advantage of the relationship to craft its art.
This month, A. Smith Bowman is releasing a brand new, permanent expression to its lineup: Cask Strength Bourbon. This will be an annual release, likely limited in availability, it starts with a blend of Buffalo Trace's Mashbills #1 and #2, which is then sent to the distillery in Virginia, where it is distilled a third time on-site, using one of its two copper stills named Mary and George, honoring the Bowman Brothers' parents. The Bourbon is then aged for a decade and bottled at, as advertised, cask strength. In the case of this first batch, that's hazmat, weighing in at a tremendous 141.1°! Suggested retail is $99.99, but my guess is you'll pay more than that if you buy anywhere aside from the distillery.
"We're excited to add another offering in the A. Smith Bowman line of bourbons, especially a Cask Strength, which we're sure will be really popular with our fans. This first release in this annual series contains barrels selected from the lower tiers in Warehouses A1 and A. We thought the flavor combinations resulted in a delicate sipping bourbon that drinks like a much lower proof. We hope you agree!" - Brian Prewitt, Master Distiller
I'm going to #DrinkCurious and explore this in greater detail, and plan to hold Prewitt to his words. But first, I'd like thank A. Smith Bowman for sending me a sample in exchange for a no-strings-attached, honest review.
Appearance: Served neat in my Glencairn glass, A. Smith Bowman was the a serious reddish-amber that could pass itself off as cherry juice. It created a medium-thick rim on the wall, and that produced husky, slow legs that fell back to the pool of liquid sunshine.
Nose: Not to be mistaken for the firecracker, this was a cherry bomb on the nose. Cherry crushed my olfactory senses and it took true effort to get past it. I eventually came across vanilla and cocoa. When I breathed in through my lips, apple and pear came from nowhere and raced across my tongue.
Palate: My first sip slid across my palate with an oily mouthfeel. I tasted brown sugar, praline pecan, and toated coconut on the front. Plum, cherry, and fig then took over at the middle. The back featured charred oak, cocoa, and cherry syrup.
Finish: Char and plum stuck around for the encore, and then the spotlight went to black pepper and dark chocolate. If you like long finishes, this was one of those unstoppable freight trains that went on for several minutes before eventually retreating.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This Bourbon was one heck of a treat. It was warming but I'd never guess it was 141.1° - Prewitt was correct, this one drinks way below its stated proof. It was amazingly approachable. The problem with that, however, is that as you're sitting there sipping this with a smile on your face, this bad boy is sneaking up behind you with a 2x4, ready to smack you in the skull. Or, at least that's what happened to me.
Another problem is that I enjoyed A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength so much, it would be an easy contender for Bourbon of the Year, except for the fact that it is immediately disqualified for being an allocated whiskey. If you see this on the shelf, just shut up and grab it. It is an excellent representation of a Bottle rating and you will be happy to hand over your money. Cheers!
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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