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Product Details
Tasting Notes
Before we even smelled or tasted this Bourbon, it was quite evident that it was high proof due to it’s very dark coloring and legs that were very slow to run down the side of our glass.
Smell: With a small whiff of this Bourbon, we first notice a subtle floral fragrance that quickly gives way to the slight sweetness of baking chocolate. This turns to a spicy rye scent that lingers, before giving way to a slight cherry smell to finish things off. If we allow our nose to linger a little longer, we can smell a sweet vanilla which fades to a rye spiciness before our nose is tickled by the alcohol scent. Although the alcohol scent is present with a big sniff, it is well hidden by the other scents until the finish.
Taste: There is a very quick sweet taste that is hard to identify, before the flavors begin to coat our palate. This sweetness gives way to a rye spiciness on the tip of the tongue that moves towards the back, then the roof of the mouth, back to the front, to the lips, and then finally a long, lingering finish which coats the mouth. It is a bold flavor that is hard to distinguish individual flavors in the first sip. Further sips reveal the tastes of chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, cherry, oak, and smoke. As we continue to taste this Bourbon, we can identify and isolate many of these flavors, as if the others weren’t present. The balance of sweet and spicy seems to hide the high proof, although it quickly goes to our head despite what our mouth tells us. The finish is a long, lingering smoky flavor that really dries the palate.
Summary
This Bourbon is fairly smooth and balanced, despite being barrel strength. That said, there doesn’t seem to be much depth to the individual flavors and it seems to be missing overall.
Recommendation and Score
Recommendation: This is definitely a sipping Bourbon, although it may be best consumed with a splash of water depending on your experience with higher proof Bourbons. Although it is a limited release bottle which uses the well-respected Stagg name, it seems to be missing something as we mentioned above. The intrigue of the bold flavors somewhat hiding the high proof gains this Bourbon a couple of points score-wise, but it doesn’t blow us away. Overall, it is very good, but for some reason still doesn’t quite live up to our expectations. We would recommend it more as a “curiosity” than a “must have.”
Score: 90 out of 100 overall.
This review has been conducted as part of a blind taste test to determine the best Traverse City Bourbon.
Product Details
Tasting Notes
Smell: The first scent we notice is a quick almost lavender-like floral aroma. The spiciness that we smell next hints at it being a high-rye content Bourbon with scents of pepper and cinnamon showing through. Vanilla is also present, as are lesser scents of chocolate and caramel. It finishes with a sweet corn alcohol scent that indicates it is somewhere in the 90-100 proof range, however, is well blended and does not overpower the other scents. We can tell this is a well-aged Bourbon somewhere in the 4 to 7 year range.
Taste: There is an immediate corn sweetness present on the tip of the tongue, but only momentarily as the flavors begin to move towards the back of the mouth. There are quick tastes of salt and rose petals that we pick up midway back on the tongue, before the peppery spiciness is felt at the back of the tongue. From there, there is a very dense mouth feel that makes it difficult to discern individual flavors as it begins to move back toward the front of the palate. Subtle tastes of chocolate and orange are present. It finishes with a long lingering smoky flavor of charred oak.
Summary
This Bourbon is very smooth and fairly complex with a bold, dense mouth feel. It checks all of our boxes as it moves around the tongue from sweet to spicy and back again, before finishing with a signature oak flavor. None of this comes as a surprise given that it is a 63% corn, 29% rye, 8% malted barley mash that is distilled and aged for 5 years or more.
Recommendation and Score
Recommendation: We wholeheartedly recommend this as a good sipping Bourbon, especially given that it is distilled, aged, and bottled in our own home state (something very few brands can say). To us, it would be a shame to dilute this one in a cocktail. If we had any criticism, it would be the price as a similar-level Bourbon from larger, more established distilleries can be found at a lower price point. If it were available at a lower price point, we would easily give it an extra two to three points on the overall score. However, we have little reservation recommending this product at its current price, given that it is hand crafted and distilled four times at an up-and-coming microdistillery.
Score: 88 out of 100 overall.
This review has been conducted as part of a blind taste test to determine the best Traverse City Bourbon.
Product Details
Tasting Notes
Smell: An initial smell of butterscotch gives way to a mixed floral and alcohol scent. Lesser earthy scents of cinnamon and nutmeg show through after sitting for a couple of minutes. Although the alcohol scent may lead one to believe this is a 90+ proof Bourbon, it smells smooth and well blended. We don’t pick up on any fruit fragrances.
Taste: The taste of butterscotch on the tip of the tongue moves to the back of the tongue where we pick up a nutmeg taste. It lingers here with a slight bitter taste, eventually moving back to the front of the mouth once more. It finishes with a salty and spicy taste on the tip of the tongue, with a noticeable bite in the back of your mouth. There is a lingering, dry oak taste that detracts from the overall taste.
Summary
This Bourbon smells fairly complex, but we are left waiting for the sophisticated flavor to develop. It moves around the mouth well, but still seems as if something is missing. If the flavor had a little more depth as the smell indicates it might, this would be a much higher scored Bourbon.
Recommendation and Score
Recommendation: I would recommend this Bourbon as a shot or mixed into a cocktail. It is just a little lacking to be recommended as a sipping Bourbon.
Score: 82 out of 100 overall.
This review has been conducted as part of a blind taste test to determine the best Traverse City Bourbon.
Product Details
Tasting Notes
Smell: This Bourbon has a very strong corn smell which can’t be missed. As the corn gives way to an alcohol scent, it leaves one with the sense that they have just smelled a straight corn “moonshine” rather than a Bourbon. These two scents overwhelm the palate leaving room for little else, but a slight floral fragrance does eventually show through.
Taste: Somewhat shockingly, the first flavor tasted was a maple syrup-like sweetness on the tip of the tongue. This sweetness quickly mellowed some into a strong corn flavor, and gave way to little else. After swallowing the spirit, some earthy spiciness finally shown through.
Summary
This Bourbon is not very complex, and really shows its youth. It is noticeably sweet first on the tip of the tongue, then tastes like a hot corn “moonshine.” It doesn’t dance around the tongue at all, but rather finishes mostly on the roof of the mouth.
Recommendation and Score
Recommendation: I would not recommend buying this Bourbon at this price point, as much better can be found for the same price or less. This is disappointing to say, as it is one of two Bourbons actually distilled in Traverse City. In fact, sadly, that may be the only reason I would buy another bottle. If you are a fan of moonshine, you may find it more enjoyable.
Score: 71 out of 100 overall.
Detroit Bourbon 