Jefferson's Grand Selection Château Suduiraut Sauternes Cask Finish

My preferred Blood Oath release to date was the one finished in Sauternes casks. Like many, when I consider wine cask-aging, Scotch and even Irish whiskey come to mind before bourbon. But it worked wonderfully when Lux Row tried it, and since I believe this was similarly priced, I have high hopes for Jefferson's attempt. The Groth Cabernet cask was superb, and the Pritchard Hill is also good, so there's a history of success. Let's see how they performed. Nose: Gala apple, grape, cherry, and apple pie. Raisin and cranberry. Jam. Nougat, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, honey, and vanilla. Toasted almond, cashew, and macadamia. Cocoa butter. Rye, black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Palate: Mint, apple, cherry, and raisin. Honey, caramel, toffee, nougat, milk chocolate, brown sugar, and vanilla. Dried apricot. Orange citrus and light pipe smoke. More toasted almond and macadamia. Heavy black pepper. Clove, nutmeg, and oak. More spice than the nose indicated. Finish: Brown sugar, honey vanilla, caramel, nougat, and milk chocolate. Cocoa. Dried apricot. Ginger snaps. Orange citrus and pipe smoke. Loads of spice. Black pepper, clove, nutmeg, and oak. Moderate length. Nicely crafted bourbon. It’s refined, balanced, and elegant. The cask selection brings out the sweet bourbon notes without it venturing remotely near the territory of cloyingly sweet. I have two complaints. First, the nose was exquisite. The palate was also very good, but didn’t quite meet the expectation established with the nose. And at 45% ABV, I’d call the finish “good.” The problem is the price. This cost me $150. The Groth cask, my favorite Jefferson's release, was only $70. That was discontinued around a decade ago, so let’s ignore that for now and just attribute it to price increases. The Blood Oath Sauternes Finish was only $120, and it was considerably more vibrant and unique and was less diluted. That was a 5 star bourbon, while this was a 4, and I’m docking a quarter star for not quite hitting value for money. Still a very good whiskey in its own right and worth owning if you’re a collector like me. But if you’re judicious in selection-making, it wouldn’t be a sin to pass on this. 1.5/1/1

This is in the port-finish/other-finish category of my finished bourbon comparisons. A brief summary of the blind tastings conducted so far: Joseph Magnus, Noble Oak, Wild Turkey Revival, Rabbit Hole were in one group. WT Revival won that group. This next group: Isaac Bowman versus Angel’s Envy IB was the winner. This upcoming match is Amador Double Barrel versus Jefferson’s Grand Selection (Sauternes). Following that is Jefferson’s old rum cask versus Beer Barrel Bourbon. Is this for science or what? The nose on this is very faint, which is unexpected. Very low astringency, and if you really put your nose right in there, you can detect hints of jelly and perhaps tomato sauce. If it strikes me as a sweet aroma, it's the jelly. If it's savory, it's the marinara. I can't get both simultaneously. The body delivers the grape jelly flavor. The sweetness from the wine is highly apparent. I can't discern much beyond the grape jelly. The finish continues with more grape jelly, plus a little cinnamon. I don't understand the marinara connection, as I'm picking up that scent on the nose even now, despite its absence in the taste. This is somewhat less intriguing than I anticipated, especially given its price tag. I do like it; it's just very standard. The grape flavor is intense. I definitely wouldn't purchase it again, but it won't dampen my enthusiasm for other offerings from this brand. For me, this is better than Amador, but that's less a testament to Jefferson's quality and more a criticism of Amador.

This is a dependable whiskey, and the influence of white wine is prominent in the middle of the taste. The wine notes become less intense as it sits. Quite enjoyable with a lasting finish.

The flavor is acceptable, but the aroma is quite strange. It's bad enough to nearly ruin the drink entirely. It's definitely not worth the price.

The nose smells like grape jelly, and the taste is grape jelly all over the tongue. A nice, lightly spicy finish.

Truly the finest I've sampled recently