More to Enjoy
Chattanooga Whiskey Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend
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Distiller:
Various
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Bottler:
Chattanooga Whiskey
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ABV:
50%
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Age:
NAS
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Price:
$$$$$
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Intro:
A blend of three mashbills, this is the 10th anniversary blend from the team at Chattanooga Whiskey - a relative newcomer compared to the goliath in their backyard - who are based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It's non-chill filtered, finished in a 650 gallon charred oak barrel, at least three years of age although it doesn't carry an age statement on the label. Most notable is the combination of mashbills: two of the recipes used are distilled by Chattanooga, and the third is the remainder of stock distilled by MGP in Indiana. It's still labeled a straight bourbon, as it should be, and demonstrates a combination of each phase of Chattanogoa Whiskey's history: their sourcing days and their transition to releasing all of their own distillate. Let's dive in!
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Nose:
Rich and bold - surprisingly intense. Kinda Booker's ish. Super solid combination of malt, heavy maple and brown butter, toffee, tobacco and pepper.
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Taste:
Sweet on the palate, a touch light on oak. It's malty and dry, full of root beer candies, vanilla custard, cracked pepper and clove, along with a fat pile of cocoa. The proof feels well placed, it's rich in terms of viscosity and mouthfeel. There's a lot more character here than I ever anticipated, and it's rockin'.
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Finish:
Long finish, quite possible the best part of the show. I"m amazed how much rich, well developed whiskey character is present. Complex, it rests nicely on the back of the palate. 50% ABV was the right choice, it's full of flavor and bold without being punishing. Root beer candies, maple syrup, waffle cone, a hit of sweet oak and pipe tobacco see this one right out.
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Overall:
A delicious ode to their time with us so far, the Chattanooga gang absolutely crushed this release. It reminds me of the first taste I had of 1816 and 111 on steroids, and the distillery has come so far. No shortage of flavor. I had doubts, simply because 10 years in the span of a distillery isn't a ton of time, but they're well on their way if this release is any yard stick.
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Score:
7
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Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources