Bourbon Drinkers opinions

[G4bama]

" Widow Jane" Anyone have opinions on this brand? I know it is a blend and not a single barrel. Looking for a good sipping or neat bourbon

[PsuHntr]

Widow Jane 10 year is good

[Ththomp2]

It’s the smoothest I’ve ever had. Little pricey. Also it’s made in Brooklyn NY. Which has me scratching my
head on how the New Yorkers can beat the TN’s!

[G4bama]

yes, it is a blend made in Brooklyn and that's what has my curiosity. I prefer a single barrel when I do drink

[KYRANGERMAN]

" Widow Jane" Anyone have opinions on this brand? I know it is a blend and not a single barrel. Looking for a good sipping or neat bourbon

A blended whiskey is a mixture of different mash bills. With Widow Jane it sounds like they are sourcing bourbon from KY (most likely Beam or Heaven Hill), TN (George Dickel if I had to guess) and IN (would almost guarantee it's MGP (Midwest Grain Products). They are then blending it to get a specific taste profile. Don't know how long they've been in business but it sounds like all the 10-14 year old stuff was already barreled and they're just blending and bottling it. That's not necessarily a bad thing if they are buying good product and doing a good job of blending it.

The younger stuff is probably their distillate. I stay away from very young bourbons since anything less than 3-4 years is probably going to be more of a one note nose and taste. It just hasn't been in the barrel long enough to develop the nuances of longer aged bourbon. The rye is almost assuredly theirs. Most of the start up distilleries will make ryes since you can more quickly get them to market (2-4 years aging).

My suggestion is to find a local bar that has it and order a pour. Get some ice on the side and try it neat, with a little water or a cube or two of ice. That way you can decide whether it's worth buying an entire bottle.

There are soooooo many good sipping bourbons. It really depends on your palate. Do you like sweeter smoother bourbons? Then wheated bourbons (Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Larceny, Weller) are good choices. Willett makes a wheated bourbon but it might be harder to find. Want something with a little bit more spice? That list is almost endless (Four Roses, Knob Creek, Baker's, Willett, Ezra Brooks, Beam Repeal Batch, Beam Distiller's Cut, 1792, Elijah Craig, Evan Williams, Old Forester . . .). Anything on the list below is good. Some are more expensive and harder to find but a good number of them are readily available and won't break the bank.
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[KYRANGERMAN]

It’s the smoothest I’ve ever had. Little pricey. Also it’s made in Brooklyn NY. Which has me scratching my
head on how the New Yorkers can beat the TN’s!

They aren't beating the KY's, TN's and IN's, they're buying it from them. If they're transparent they will list the DSP (Distilled Spirits Plant) number on the label so you can tell who they sourced it from.

This is the list of the DSP's for just KY:
DSP-KY-1 Heaven Hill Bernheim (Formerly Beargrass), A.K.A. "New Bernheim" Louisville
DSP-KY-2 Bernheim, J.G. Mattingly Louisville
DSP-KY-3 Old Pogue Maysville
DSP-KY-4 Hermitage Frankfort
DSP-KY-5/297 Sunny Brook Louisville
DSP-KY-7 Early Times Distillery Co Paducah
DSP-KY-8 Four Roses (formerly Old Log Cabin) Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-9 Bernheim Louisville
DSP-KY-10 Medley Owensboro
DSP-KY-11 Boone Bros Bardstown
DSP-KY-12 Barton(Tom Moore) Bardstown
DSP-KY-14 Old Grand-Dad Frankfort
DSP-KY-15 C.L. Applegate Bardstown
DSP-KY-16 Stitzel-Weller Shively/Louisville(Diageo)
DSP-KY-17 M.V. Monarch Owensboro
DSP-KY-18 Rock Springs Distilling (Defunct) Owensboro
DSP-KY-18 Castle & Key Frankfort
DSP-KY-19 Old Taylor (defunct) Frankfort
DSP-KY-20 Seagram Athertonville
DSP-KY-24 Glenmore Owensboro
DSP-KY-25 Old Crow Frankfort
DSP-KY-31 Heaven Hill Bardstown
DSP-KY-34 Mellwood Louisville
DSP-KY-35 Old Joe Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-37 J. Kessler Louisville
DSP-KY-39 J.P.Dant Louisville
DSP-KY-44/440 Maker's Mark Loretto
DSP-KY-45 Kentucky River CampNelson
DSP-KY-47 Orene Parker Gethsemane
DSP-KY-49 Medley Owensboro
DSP-KY-50 Peerless Louisville (Formerly Henderson)
DSP-KY-52 Woodford Reserve Versailles
DSP-KY-63 John B. Thompson Harrodsburg
DSP-KY-67 Wild Turkey Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-71 Wild Turkey Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-78 Willett Bardstown
DSP-KY-97 Anderson Distilling Newport
DSP-KY-112 Old Commonwealth Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-113 Buffalo Trace Frankfort
DSP-KY-145 T.W.Samuels Deatsville
DSP-KY-230 Jim Beam Clermont
DSP-KY-240 Taylor & Williams Gethsemane
DSP-KY-354 Early Times Louisville
DSP-KY-368 American Medicinal Spirits Louisville
DSP-KY-414 Brown-Forman Shively/Louisville
DSP-KY-418 T. B. Ripy Lawrenceburg
DSP-KY-422 Old Boone Bardstown
DSP KY-20003 Michter's Shively/Louisville
DSP KY-20022 Angel's Envy (Louisville Distilling Co.) Louisville
DSP-KY-20026 Bulleit Shelbyville

[G4bama]

Thanks for your post, very informative. I like Rare Breed and Even Williams Single Barrel when I do drink. I really do not care for something with a harsh finish.

[KYRANGERMAN]

yes, it is a blend made in Brooklyn and that's what has my curiosity. I prefer a single barrel when I do drink

If your preference is a single barrel then I would recommend

Evan Williams Single Barrel
Knob Creek 120
Colonel E. H. Taylor Single Barrel BIB (tough to find but one of the best bottles I have)
Four Roses Single Barrel 100 proof
Four Roses Single Barrel PS (Private Selections) bottled at barrel strength.
McKenna Single Barrel BIB (won an award so it's now harder to find and the price has gone through the roof).
New Riff Single Barrel (newer distiller in Newport KY but they are putting out some good stuff).
Russell's Reserve Single Barrel.

I have bottles of all of these and they are all good bourbons.

[KYRANGERMAN]

Thanks for your post, very informative. I like Rare Breed and Even Williams Single Barrel when I do drink. I really do not care for something with a harsh finish.

Rare Breed and EW SiB are really solid single barrels. Oddly enough I'm a fan of Rare Breed, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit and the Russell's Reserves but WT 101 does absolutely nothing for me. It's flat and hot to my palate.

[Riccochet]

Smaller distilleries aren't aging in 55 gallon barrels. You can age in much smaller barrels which have a much higher surface area by volume to lower the aging length. We have a local distillery that ages in 10 gallon barrels. I was talking with the head distiller about it. In those barrels you can get roughly 1 year worth of aging in 2.5 months. Lower volume of sales, so you can get away with it.

My friend ages in 3 gallon barrels where 1 month is roughly 1 year in a 55 gallon barrel. He'll let his batches age for a year and the flavor is off the charts.

I'll have to pick up some Widow Jane.

[BloodRiverBandit]

It’s the smoothest I’ve ever had. Little pricey. Also it’s made in Brooklyn NY. Which has me scratching my
head on how the New Yorkers can beat the TN’s!

Majority of bourbon is made in kentucky

[HookedonBass]

This is a great post with tons of information. Thanks for starting the conversation and for the contributors.

[G4bama]

Rare Breed and EW SiB are really solid single barrels. Oddly enough I'm a fan of Rare Breed, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit and the Russell's Reserves but WT 101 does absolutely nothing for me. It's flat and hot to my palate.

I do not care for regular Wild Turkey either.

[BloodRiverBandit]

Thanks for your post, very informative. I like Rare Breed and Even Williams Single Barrel when I do drink. I really do not care for something with a harsh finish.

Johnny drum is a great cheaper choice as well

[KYRANGERMAN]

Johnny drum is a great cheaper choice as well

You are correct sir. Pure Kentucky (same distiller) tastes a little different but also fits into that less expensive but good category.

[HookedonBass]

Inspired to open my bottle of 10-year Widow Jane tonight. The reviews above are spot-on, it's great stuff!!