~$40 / 750mL bottle- Purchased from River Stone Wine & Spirits, Cleveland, TN
Background
Being in the marketing business does not make me immune to its effects. Of particular note, if I see a unusually cool whiskey bottle, I just about have to buy the product…even if I know nothing about it. That happened a few weeks ago for me when I was at River Stone Wine & Spirits in Cleveland, Tennessee (right after the Bacon Festival…mmmmmm…bacon…). I was searching through the Bourbon and whiskey section to see if there was something new and different I could try, but also in my price range…and I saw this squat, narrow-necked bottle with a very wide label and the intriguing company name “Thirteenth Colony.” After my brain kicked in and I remembered that the 13th colony was Georgia, I became more interested, since I’ve had very few beverages created in the great state south of the border.
Thirteenth Colony opened up for business in 2009 in Americus, Georgia, a small city about equally distant from Macon and Columbus, and about halfway between Atlanta and the Florida line. Some friends wanted to make gifts for friends and decided they were so good that they would form the first legal distillery in Georgia since Prohibition. Their goal is “to make unique southern spirits that are affordable and delicious for our customers” and most of their products actually contain the word “Southern” as part of the name.
Today I’m focusing on their Southern Bourbon Whiskey. Like any other Bourbon made, the mash bill is majority corn (70%). The remaining 30% is rye (21%) and malted barley (9%). This whiskey is aged in new charred oak barrels (also a Bourbon requirement) for a total of 4 years. The water is sourced from “Georgia’s oldest aquifer” and the finished product is bottled at 95 proof.
To learn more about this whiskey or their other products, visit their website.
Notes
I poured the Thirteen Colony Southern Bourbon Whiskey (maybe just TCSBW from now on) into a glass and noted that it was a medium-dark amber color. Putting my nose up to the glass I got copious vanilla aroma, along with some molasses and oak notes. Holding it a little further from nose allowed a slight floral note into the mix, as well.
The initial sip had sweet vanilla up front that quickly melted into rye spice and an alcohol vapor burn that was not unpleasant at all. The burn continued through the finish. At 95 proof it felt like the ABV was just about right and I hesitated to add any water to it.
I paired the TCSBW with a Padron 1926 Serie Natural No. 47, a Nicaraguan cigar with a great balance of sweetness, earth, and cedar with a medium-plus body.
I have to admit to being pleasantly surprised. by the TCSBW. The first pour I had a couple weeks ago was a bit underwhelming…but I know better than to judge a whiskey by when it’s first opened. Let it get some air for a couple weeks and it was much, much better. In fact, good enough that I would recommend it for fans of “high rye” bourbons.
