The Burning Chair Bourbon

The newest creation from the person behind Orin Swift, Dave Phinney. As anticipated, this sourced bourbon has been aged in wine casks. I'm interested in how a wine expert will improve bourbon. I've previously had some decent ones in this category; let's see how a true wine craftsman's product measures up. Nose: Stale corn, paper, and wood shavings (I'm encountering this frequently in wine cask-aged bourbons.) Plenty of spice. Cinnamon, thyme, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. Brown sugar, caramel, and dark grape. Apricot and pecan pie. A whiff of cigar smoke. Mahogany/oak. So far, it's promising. Palate: Dark grape, pecan pie, apple, and apricot. More stale corn, plus some walnut and almond. Classic bourbon caramel and vanilla notes. Dried caramel and licorice candy. Cola and jam. A good equilibrium between the spirit and the cask. Finish: Paper and grape. Cranberry and plum. Chestnut and almond. Clove, nutmeg, wood shavings, and oak. Cinnamon, black pepper, and oak. A stale corn note as it goes down. Moderately long finish. Surprisingly prolonged for a 44% ABV. There's much to appreciate here. The cask quality compensates for the spirit's youth. I'd love to sample an older version using the same casks (I believe this is a 4-year.) It's solid from beginning to end. This might benefit from a slight boost in ABV. It's hard to say, as increasing the proof might diminish the subtle wine cask influence without careful consideration. I actually think it performs well at this proof, but I wouldn't mind seeing some higher proof options in the future. If you're a traditional bourbon drinker seeking a change, I would suggest this. If you're a Scotch/Irish drinker looking for an introduction to American whiskey, this would be a reasonable starting point. If you enjoy Legent, I would strongly recommend this. It doesn't quite match Jefferson's Groth Cask or Wyoming Double Cask, but it's still a very good bourbon. 4/5.

I've previously experienced the 5-year-plus Second Glance whiskey, which was sourced and wine-finished by Dave Phinney. Now, I'm trying this younger 4-year-plus sourced bourbon, which was finished in Napa Valley cabernet barrels. It's been stored in my cellar for some time – time to try it. Drank it neat. It has a light copper color with thin legs in the glass. The nose presents sweet grain and grass, floral vanilla, and fruit. The mouthfeel is sweet grain, white pepper, red wine, and a bit of oak, leather, and ethanol. The texture is thin. The finish might be the highlight. It's spicy, sweet grass, chocolate, and vanilla oak, followed by a long, dry, tingling sensation. The fruit sweetness persists but isn't sour. I confess I do enjoy wine-finished whiskeys. Sometimes they become excessively sweet and fruity. This one maintains balance with a peppery kick. Adding ice dilutes some of that and enhances the wine/fruit flavors. I also have to admit I'm a big fan of Phinney's bottle and label design – it's not the typical bold lettering you can read from across a smoky room, nor the standard bottle neck for easy grabbing. It's very wine country avant-garde, refined, with a great label and a squat bottle featuring a glass stopper. Really nice!

To sum it up, it tastes like a relatively young (but still very drinkable) bourbon that was aged in barrels with a heavier char (there's a strong, almost burnt quality instead of sweet marshmallow), and then finished in red wine barrels (the wine influence is unmistakable). When I tasted this, I wasn't aware it had been finished in red wine barrels, but I noticed the wine influence right away. On the other hand, I'm not certain if the distillate was aged in more heavily charred barrels than usual, or if it's just the effect of the name, or perhaps the influence of the secondary barrels. I definitely perceive it as being on the drier, more bitter, and oakier end of bourbons, especially considering its age. It also drinks like something with a slightly higher proof (92 instead of 88).

A pale golden straw hue, with moderate legs and a rather thick film left behind. The aroma is subtle, featuring notes of pear, corn flakes, and biscuit dough. My initial impression after tasting is that it's very well-rounded and approachable for a four-year-old spirit. It brings to mind brands of caramels or certain candies, as well as those little jelly packets from school. It has a short to medium finish, lacking depth but not character. This is unexpected and has surpassed my expectations.

Considering its nature, this is excellent. The flavor profile is simply not to my taste, which results in a lower score. Remarkably well-integrated, as might be expected from a winemaker, the aroma offers fresh berries, especially blackberry, with hints of caramel. The taste is full of vanilla, maple, caramel, and spices. It's just a touch too sweet for me, but remarkably smooth. Perfect as an aperitif.

Tasted neat. On the nose, I detect the evident red wine along with tart cherries, strawberries, oak, a silky texture, and chocolate. It's very fruity and smells like a chocolate-covered strawberry... but perhaps that's due to the proximity of Valentine's Day and a person's desires. On the palate, the red wine presence is strong, which is always pleasant. It's tangy and somewhat sour on the tongue, like aged wine, with a hot finish.