J. Mattingly 1845 6-Year Kentucky Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes

If you’ve been around the world of American whiskey for the last several years, you’ve likely heard the name Jeff Mattingly. Mattingly is a Frankfort, KY-based blender, and a respected one at that.

 

“Starting in 1845 with John Graves Mattingly’s first distillery in Louisville, Registered Distillery #2, the Mattingly family has been involved in at least nine different distilleries in Kentucky, and is connected to some of the most prominent distilling families in Kentucky including the Willetts and Samuels. Today, Jeff Mattingly, a descendant of John Graves Mattingly, continues the family distilling tradition. Born in Mattingly, KY, Jeff grew up working on his family’s 600-acre farm, learning the value of hard work and absorbing his family’s distilling heritage. In 2010 he formalized that expertise in Georgetown, KY, carrying on the Mattingly family tradition with spirits plant DSP KY-20030. Now, Jeff’s son Cameron has assumed the mantle of Vice President of Production, continuing the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery in Frankfort, KY.” – J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery

 

One of the cool things Mattingly does is that he offers visitors an unusual opportunity to choose their barrels and create their own blends without having to purchase an entire barrel – it is sold a bottle at a time at the distillery.

 

Today, I’m exploring a brand new, regularly available release put together by J. Mattingly 1845's blending team, including my friend, Dan Pepper.

 

Here is where I must offer transparency: Dan and I go back a handful of years; he used to live here in Wisconsin, and we are both members of The Speakeasy_WI Facebook group. Dan recently “retired” to Kentucky, and the rest is history. If you’ve followed me for a decent amount of time, you’ll know that I have never allowed a friendship to get between my palate and an honest rating. I’ve delivered sad news before. My distillery friends have always been understanding when things don’t go as expected.

 

The Bourbon I’m sipping is called Double Staved 6-Year Old Kentucky Bourbon. Its mashbill is 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley and was distilled by Green River Distilling Co. out of Owensboro. It aged six years in new, charred oak barrels, non-chill filtered, and packaged at 59.5% ABV (119°). It comes with a suggested price of $100.00 for a 750ml.

 

Now, you may be unfamiliar with the term Double Staved. Until I wrote this review, I had never heard of it. The short story is it allows the whiskey to have more surface interaction with the charred oak. The longer story is that Double Staving is accomplished by breaking up old barrel staves into chunks, which are then added to existing barrels. Once matured, the barrels are dumped, and their contents are blended.

 

So, thank you, Dan and J. Mattingly 1845 for providing me with a sample of this Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious.

 

Appearance: Inside my Glencairn glass, the Bourbon was a dark orange amber, almost as if it was torched. A thin rim formed, jettisoning pencil-thin tears back into the pool.

 

Nose: The dominance of cherries and plums took a lot to get through, and that’s okay. As I continued to sniff, I could pick out nutmeg, oak, leather, and even a bit of citrus. The air I pulled into my mouth was filled with vanilla.

 

Palate: The Bourbon’s texture was light and provided a warming sensation as it rolled across my tongue and down my throat. I quickly identified barrel char that was joined by vanilla cream. It was a lovely combination. When the whiskey moved to my mid-palate, I tasted nutmeg, tobacco leaf, and orange zest. The back included clove, Morello cherries, and black pepper.

 

Finish: Black pepper, clove, barrel char, tobacco, nutmeg, and Morello cherries simmered on my tongue and throat. The tip of my tongue sizzled. I clocked it at just shy of three minutes, making it one of those freight train finishes.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The Double Stave 6-Year Kentucky Bourbon drank right at its stated proof. There was plenty of oomph, but not something uncomfortable. The nose and palate were far apart. As I savored my initial pour, I went for a second. That’s atypical for me when I’m penning a review, yet it should be telling: It is an excellent Bourbon.

 

Would I pay $100 for this Bourbon? While it is only six years old, what J. Mattingly 1845 did with it makes it unique due to that Double Stave process. That’s worth the premium, and it takes my Bottle rating. 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.