~$35, 750mL bottle- Purchased at Richland Wine & Spirits
Background
Has it really been 8 years? As a matter of fact, it has. Over 8 years ago, I was one of the first people to interview one of the principles of the nascent Chattanooga Whiskey Company before they opened for business. I got to try early samples of their Indiana-sourced whiskey and gave a full review to it once it actually hit the market. I really enjoyed the 1816 Reserve, but loved the 1816 Cask and it was a staple in my liquor cabinet for many years. A couple years back, though, production on those items slowed to a trickle as Chattanooga Whiskey paid off the fruits of those early labors with a new product made entirely in Chattanooga.
Chattanooga Whiskey 91 is a Bourbon by law, but made with a process the company calls “Tennessee High Malt.” They use 4 grains (yellow corn, malted rye, caramel malt, and honey malt…the last two being types of malted barley, if I’m not mistaken), a 7-day fermentation, then aging in two different charred and toasted white oak barrels, along with a Solera barrel finishing. For the barrels, half the whiskey is aged in traditional char #4 barrels, while the other half use barrels that are slow-toasted for half an hour, then charred to a #3 specification. After 2 years or more in those barrels, the whiskey is “transferred to a 4000-gallon charred, oak barrel, where it undergoes our own unique version of the classic solera method. This magnificent vessel – which never goes empty – is topped up with 8-12 newly mature barrels after every small batch bottling. The result is a whiskey with an ageless, fruit-forward complexity unlike any other.” If you want to learn more about the process, check out their website…or go visit them in downtown Chattanooga.
I bought my bottle of Chattanooga Whiskey 91 (named for its 91 proof) at Richland Wine & Spirits in Dayton, Tennessee.
Notes
Chattanooga Whiskey’s new products drop the pretense that this is not Bourbon. Many aged whiskies made in the United States fall into the Bourbon definition even if they prefer not to market themselves as such. Right away I noted the “Straight Bourbon Whiskey” appellation right below the name.
As such, it has the characteristic aroma notes that I have grown accustomed to from finer Bourbons like caramel and vanilla. Get closer and there is definitely some oak. Get your nose too far into the glass and you’ll definitely get some nostril-searing alcohol vapors.
Taking a sip, I got immediate wood notes up front, with vanilla coming in behind and then some of the lightly sweet caramel and floral hints. I fired up a Padron 1926 Natural No. 47 to go along with the Chattanooga Whiskey 91 this evening. It was woody, too…although more cedar than oak…and brought it a good measure of earth, hay, and pepper spice.
I didn’t feel like I got quite enough experience from that first go-around, so I later paired the Chattanooga Whiskey 91 with a Four Kicks Mule Kick 2020 by Crowned Heads. This cigar has a pleasant sweetness and more pepper spice than I expected. The Bourbon was sweeter than I remembered from the first time around with plenty of oak and vanilla. There was still a floral quality about the whiskey, as well, and the pairing was excellent from the very beginning. And it should be noted that there will be a full review of the Mule Kick 2020 coming soon…early puffs indicate that it is dynamite!
As for the Chattanooga Whiskey 91, it has the vanilla and sweetness you expect from a Bourbon, but not nearly as much. Instead it has more woodiness and some extra bite that I believe comes from the “Tennessee High Malt” process that the company uses. Good whiskey and different enough from other products on the market to make it something to recommend.
