Spirit Review: Johnny Drum Private Stock Bourbon

Price ~$35
Purchased at Total Wine & More

Background

Sometimes you have to go clear across the country to find stuff made in a neighboring state. Such was the case in September, when I was out in California. I stopped in to the Brea branch of Total Wine and More to check out what they had in the “Bourbon” and “American Whiskey” sections. I noticed a “staff favorite” or some other tag on something called Johnny Drum and decided to give it a try…and I’m really glad I did.

So if you’re as unfamiliar with the brand as I was, this will all come as news…Johnny Drum is a brand made by the Willett Distilling Company and sold in a variety of variations (4 year aged, 4-12 year, etc). The “Private Stock” variety that I picked up is “aged 15 years and bottled at 50.5%.

The story on the company website goes like this:

THE YEAR WAS 1861 – Confederate forces began firing on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, recognized as the official date the Civil War began.  Boys as young as eight years old were attempting to sign up to fight for the noble cause, but individuals under the age of 18 couldn’t join the army, unless they wanted to be a drummer or bugler.

It’s been said that almost every town and state had many of these fine, brave young men, and, truth be told, it has been well-documented that many a campaign may have failed had it not been for these young native drummer soldiers establishing communications and keeping some semblance of order among various units in the field.

Like so many other young men during this time, Johnny Drum attempted to join a regiment in his home state, but was turned down because of his age.  Eventually, Johnny ran away from home and found a regiment to take him in and allow him to serve as a drummer boy.

Upon completion of his duty and the end of the Civil War, legend has it that Johnny returned home to settle down amongst the rolling bluegrass knobs of his native Kentucky, where he staked his claim among a beautiful spring.  Like so many other pioneer farmers that had been granted “corn writs” in the Kentucky Territory, Johnny soon learned the importance of finding a way to convert his excess corn crop into something profitable, rather than allowing it to go to waste.  Johnny had a penchant for giving his all, regardless of cost, and it wasn’t long before Johnny’s determination produced an exceptional bourbon whiskey that earned him a reputation for making the finest sippin’ whiskey in all of the Territory.

To this day we celebrate the passion of Johnny Drum and invite you to try this time honored recipe for what is still the finest sippin’ whiskey in all of the Territory.

One thing I found interesting about Johnny Drum is the note on the bottle that “Every drop [is] charcoal filtered.” That’s normally something you only see on Tennessee Whiskies and I’ve heard Bourbon makers denigrate the practice, seeming to indicate that it’s “beneath them.” Also of note is that this Johnny Drum Private Stock is a Double Gold Medal winner at the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. So that all being told…let’s drink!

Tasting Notes

Sitting in the glass, the Johnny Drum is a more-or-less standard amber color. I didn’t notice that it was darker or lighter than most other Bourbons I’ve encountered. I swirled the liquid around a bit in the glass and saw that it was excessively thick, with legs that trailed ever so slowly down the insides of the glass.

Taking a big whiff of the whiskey, I was surprised that alcohol vapors weren’t the most prevalent part of the experience…after all it is 101 proof! Instead I detected lots of vanilla and a very strong maple influence…another surprise since oak is what the whiskey is aged in and the wood note that comes through most often. I suspect that the charcoal for filtering is made from maple, though, as is the case with Jack Daniel and other Tennessee Whiskies. Although charcoal should be neutral, it would explain the flavor I got.

Taking a sip, I tasted a nice, caramel sweetness up front, with a slowly-spread alcohol burn and some peppery notes on the finish. Subsequent sips revealed more vanilla, oak and maple woodiness and some corn graininess. Mostly the whiskey was very smooth up front, with some fire as it trailed down my throat.

I smoked a Casa Fernandez Aganorsa Leaf Maduro while I wrote this beverage review. The whiskey helped elevate the sweetness aspect of the Mexican wrapper leaf and overall the pairing was quite good. I’d say this Bourbon falls under my general rule of “almost any Bourbon pairs well with almost any cigar.”