Old Man of the Mountain

This is an authentic Bottled-in-Bond bourbon from a small distillery in New Hampshire. I'm pleased they chose the BiB route, allowing it adequate maturation time rather than releasing a younger product prematurely. The additional years have been beneficial. According to the distillery, it's made from 82.4% organic yellow corn, 11% organic rye, and 6.6% malted barley, using a sour mash fermentation process and aged for the standard four years in 53-gallon oak barrels. While tasty, this bourbon isn't overly complex. The aroma resembles freshly cut, semi-seasoned firewood. On the palate, it's dry and oaky, consistent with the nose, and has some astringency, but it's not unpleasant. It shares similarities with the 1792 single barrel I tried, but with less refinement. It's not the most profound sipping whiskey, but I found it enjoyable in a Manhattan and an Old Fashioned. Personally, I don't mind an oaky bourbon, so this worked well for me, though I can understand if some find it off-putting. If it were younger, I suspect the astringency would be more pronounced and dominate the palate. Again, I commend Tamworth for allowing this to mature further. It sells for $55 in New Hampshire, which is admittedly more than it's worth, but I'm a supporter of local products and happy to contribute. Cheers.

Smells like mothballs and sulphur, unpleasant and sour.