Bottle Banter:
In my decades of sipping bourbon (no judgements please!) I’ve come to appreciate the craft of being able to produce an expression that goes off the rails a tad, engages in a bit of bushwhacking. . .presents itself with layers and flavors that make one think, “Now how the heck did they do that?”  Such is the case with this one, but first the usual deets…

Whiskey Description:
Town Branch Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon Whiskey
Hand Selected Barrel by Heritage Wine & Liquor, Colorado
Barrel No. 22163, Barrel Filled 7/15’, Bottle Fill 12/21’, No 133, 52.6 ABV, 105.2 proof

MSRP:
$55 to $60

About the Distillery and Mashbill:
The Town Branch label comes to us from the Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. Lexington, KY from Distillers, Pearse Lyons and his son Mark.  With a doctorate in fermentation, Mark delves into brewing beer and several spirits ranging from single malt whiskeys to the bourbon we review today.  First released in 2015, this bottle does not provide a mash bill but professes layers of oak, caramel, brown sugar and cherry. . . descriptors that one could probably attribute to most bourbons these days. Admittedly, after sitting with this bourbon for more than one bottle (spoiler. . .me likey a lot!), I gotta giggle a bit because many of those descriptors are not what come to mind at all…and THAT’S what I love most about this expression.

Conditions:
3/4 bottle, glencairn

Appearance:
Pale, amber, medium legs

Aroma (nose):
Medium, butterscotch, Werthers, lemon peel, maple candy, butter popcorn

Taste:

• Initial - ethanol forward, explosion of grapefruit rind.

• Mid Palate - citrus yields to buttery toffee and a neat acidic balance.

• Finish - Lingering pepper and grapefruit, with a warm but not overheated “hug” that slowly lingers, in a satisfying “ahhhhh” kind of vibe. See what I mean?  That grapefruit is just a crazy governing layer to this beauty that I appreciate oh so much.  Would I have this in the am with breakfast sausages and a short-stack? Perhaps????

• Ice Melt - Holds up just fine to an ice-melt, though that citrus does eventually recede bringing forth some of its sweeter compounds for the first, oh 30-40 minutes.  More than that and ya may wanna fresh pour over what's left of the ice ball.

Final Thoughts:
I’m a bit dazzled by what Town Branch brings with this iteration.  It's an “off beat” riff that challenges the palate in unexpected ways but pleases the conservative crew all at once.