Samuel Maverick Single Barrel Four Grain Texas Straight Bourbon Review

 

One of the things I love about American whiskey brands is the backstory. It seems like we’re obsessed with a good tale. Most of them talk about how someone’s grandpappy’s grandpappy hid his secret corn likker recipe behind the false wall of a Hoosier cabinet and, by sheer luck, the great-great-great-great-great-grandson (do I have enough greats?) was in an antique shop and discovered that very same cabinet for sale.

 

The story of Samuel Augustus Maverick is at least based on history. His family emigrated to the New World in 1624. His grandmother married an American Revolutionary War general named Robert Anderson. His father, Samuel, married Anderson’s daughter, and nine months later, “Gus” was born. By the time he attended Yale, he had gone by “Sam” and had become a lawyer.

 

Sam moved to Georgia to mine gold but was unsuccessful. He then moved to Alabama with 25 of his father’s slaves to run a plantation. Sam didn’t enjoy supervising his slaves or running the plantation, so he picked up in 1835 and moved to San Antonio, Texas. Sam purchased as many tracts of land as he could.

 

Meanwhile, things in Texas got squirrely. Texas was a Mexican territory, and the president was concerned that the Texans would hand the territory to the United States. As things escalated, the Texas Revolution broke out. Fast-forward a bit, and Sam is holed up at The Alamo. He survived the massacre because he was running a message.

 

In 1839, he was elected mayor of San Antonio and served as the city treasurer and Justice of the Peace. He continued to buy land and eventually owned 66,000 acres! After Texas joined the United States, he was elected to the Texas legislature and helped organize the Democratic Party.

 

Throughout his life, Sam escaped death many times, whether it was due to battle, disease, or nearly drowning when his boat capsized. Sam’s story led to the coining of the term maverick.

 

That, in turn, brings us to Maverick Distilling, which is built on the corner of Sam’s homestead by Dr. Kenneth Maverick, his direct descendant. And, all of that brings us to the subject of today’s review: Samuel Maverick Single Barrel Four Grain Texas Straight Bourbon (whew, that’s a mouthful!).  

 

“Crafted from a mash bill of 51% corn, 20% Abruzzi rye, 19% hard red winter wheat, and 10% malted barley, this Four Grain Texas Straight Bourbon is aged six years and bottled from a single barrel. Barrels mature in two distinct environments—our underground Lockwood vault and the Fowler rickhouse—imparting unique character. Each bottle is marked with an L or F to denote its origin and aging location.” – Maverick Distilling

 

I want to thank Maverick Distilling for providing me with a sample of this Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. This sample came from a barrel in the Lockwood Vault. Let’s #DrinkCurious and taste what it is all about!

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Sam Maverick Spirits
• Age: 6 years
• Mashbill: 51% corn, 20% rye, 19% wheat, 10% malted barley
• Cooperage: Either 30 or 53-gallon new, charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 53% ABV (106°)
• Price per 750mL: $56.00
• Barrel #L9-19

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass with the intention of sipping it neat. The dark, reddish-brown color suggests to me that this is a 30-gallon barrel. As I go through the nosing and tasting, I’ll tell you how certain of that I am. There was a massively thick rim that shed even thicker, gluey tears.  

 

Nose: Considering the proof, I let this whiskey rest for approximately 15 minutes before embarking on my nosing adventure. What I found included notes of Maraschino cherries, oak, vanilla, and toffee. In my mouth, the air offered a taste of candied orange slices.

 

Notably missing was cedar or bold charcoal, which could indicate smaller cooperage. So, at this point, my confidence level is lower.

 

Palate: The Bourbon’s texture was dense and creamy. There was no real palate shock; that first sip went down easy. With the second, I encountered cocoa, cherries, and roasted almonds on the front of my palate. Next, on the mid-palate, were flavors of pecans, corn, and pipe tobacco. The back tasted of charred oak, clove, and leather.

 

Finish: Clove, charred oak, cherries, and pipe tobacco stuck around for a long, lingering, relatively level finish. Dark chocolate popped out near the end. I timed it at 2:52, which is an unusually long duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: After completing the tasting aspect, I have zero confidence in my guess of the barrel size. While it is possible that a 30-gallon barrel was used, there were no telltale signs; a 53-gallon barrel is entirely plausible. The other conundrum is that this is a Texas Bourbon, which by its nature is typically “hotter” and oakier than other regions. Yet, it also aged underground in a vault so that it wouldn’t be exposed to the same environmental influences as something above ground in a rickhouse. At the end of the day, all that really matters is how the whiskey tastes, right? Right.

 

Samuel Maverick Single Barrel Four Grain Texas Straight Bourbon is easy to drink and performs at its stated proof. I found it reasonably priced considering the age, proof, and the fact that it came from a single barrel. There’s a lot to like here. I’m happy to have this one in my Whiskey Library, and it earns 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.