Village Garage Distillery: Village Bourbon & Village Bonfire Reviews

Picture this. It is Christmas Eve, 2018. It is cold, snowy, and you’ve got two guys, Glen Saur, a manufacturing manager, and Matt Cushman, a PhD in Mathematics, who are talking about opening a craft distillery in their hometown of Bennington, Vermont.

 

“Glen knew of the perfect spot – the historic ‘Village Garage’ near the four corners of downtown. Originally a tractor dealership that had served the local farm community, in recent decades it had been used to house the town’s old highway equipment. It might have become yet another empty building in the heart of an  American town, but Glen and Matt had other ideas…” – Village Garage Distillery

 

The duo brought in Todd Pinsonneault as the Head Distiller. He apprenticed for four years under a master distiller to learn the trade. In 2021, the distillery was running and released its first spirits to the public. Sava Marinkovic is a former winery cellar manager with a passion for everything fermented and serves as the Associate Distiller.

 

Together, Village Garage Distillery makes a variety of spirits, including whiskeys, and that’s the subject of today’s review. Specifically, we’re exploring Village Bourbon and Village Bonfire. All the grains are sourced from local farms and are available in 40 states and from its online store.

 

The team at Village Garage Distillery was kind enough to send me samples of each whiskey in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. But before we do the #DrinkCurious thing, let’s eliminate some repetition: I use a fresh Glencairn nosing glass for each expression and wait 15 minutes before delving into them to allow them to oxidize properly.

 

Village Bourbon (Batch 12)

 

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Village Garage Distillery
• Age: 5 years
• Mashbill: 60% Vermont corn and 40% rye
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 45% ABV (90°)
• Price per 750mL: $49.99

 

Appearance: In my glass, the honey-amber-colored Bourbon formed a thick rim with widely spaced, syrupy tears.

 

Nose: As I brought the glass beneath my nose, I smelled honey, toffee, apples, corn, and leather. When I drew the air into my mouth, there was a sensation of maple syrup.

 

Palate: I was introduced to a thick, creamy texture that offered a mild palate shock of toasted oak. The second sip revealed pecans and corn on the front of my palate. Next, I tasted rye spice, cocoa, and toasted oak. The back included white pepper and clove.

 

Finish: There were notes of toasted oak, pecans, rye spice, and field corn that carried through, and as things petered out, there was this presence of vanilla. It came in strong and fell off just as quickly. As for intensity, I found it mild overall. The duration ran 1:09, which I’d classify as medium.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I must admit I’m a bit befuddled with Village Bourbon. Spending five years in oak should impart more flavor. However, there’s a lack of malted barley, which could have added more sweetness to the mix. It was also unusual for the vanillas to show up only at the finish (and late at that).

 

Did it need more time in oak? Potentially. Should it be packaged at a higher proof? I don’t believe that would solve what seems to be missing: more depth and flavor. Village Bourbon isn’t bad; it is just forgettable. You’ll want to try this at a Bar before plopping down a Ulysses Grant.

 

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Village Bonfire (Batch 17)

 

 

• Whiskey Type: American Whiskey
• Distiller: Village Garage Distillery
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: 60% Vermont corn and 40% rye, then blended with Vermont smoked maple syrup
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 45% ABV (90°)
• Price per 750mL: $39.99

 

Appearance: I observed a burnt amber color to this whiskey, along with a thin rim and thick, fast tears.

 

Nose: The aroma was dominated by the smoked maple syrup. It could be mistaken for peat. Personally, I find that an attractive quality. Beneath it, my olfactory sense plucked corn, milk chocolate, and just a tad of rye spice. Inhaling the vapor through my lips exposed me to a taste of sweeter maple syrup.

 

Palate: On my first sip, I found a dense, creamy texture with a mild smokiness. As I paused, the smoke became stronger. I took another, and encountered maple syrup, honey, and corn on the front of my palate. Clove, chocolate, and caramel came next, followed by maple syrup, smoke, and leather on the back of my palate.

 

Finish: Smoke, leather, maple syrup, honey, and chocolate remained in my mouth and throat. No matter how long the finish lasted, it wasn’t long enough. In reality, it weighed in at 1:33. The smoke component grew in intensity over time, reaching its climax at 1:12.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found Village Bonfire to be delightful. I loved the smoky component; it added so much to the Bourbon, which grabbed my ears, stared me in the face, and made me smile. I was reminded of peated whiskeys and, in particular, the (unfortunately) few peated Bourbons I’ve sampled over the years.

 

There was so much to enjoy with Village Bonfire. In some ways, the name implies heat, but there really isn’t any. It is an incredibly well-balanced whiskey, one that I didn’t want to stop drinking.

 

Look, if you don’t like smoky whiskeys, then this one may not be for you. I love them, and I love Village Bonfire. Factor in the price, and it is a slam-dunk Bottle rating, and a whiskey you shouldn’t overlook.

 

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Final Thoughts: While the base whiskey is the same, the smoked maple syrup added so much panaché and character that I couldn’t tell they were related. I’d be curious to taste what Village Garage Distillery does with its flagship whiskey down the road; they hopefully won’t change a darned thing with Village Bonfire. 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.