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.
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