Bowman's Bourbon

[bunghole]

I brought a liter bottle of Bowman's Bourbon to Dave & Tina's (angleshare) for our Repeal Day celebration yesterday. We were going to have a bottom shelf shootout, but since One Cube Only couldn't make it we put the shootout on the back burner for another day.

Bowman's is redistilled by the A. Smith Bowman Distillery in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Raw white dog whiskey is trucked in from Buffalo Trace and then redistilled in a very large copper pot still and aged.

None of us had ever tried Bowman's before, so we were eager to have a taste. We all very much like Virginia Gentleman's 90 proof "The Fox" bottling, and this is the same whiskey only much younger (at least 36 months) and bottled at 80 proof. It is offered for sale in liter bottles only and costs $9.90.

So off came the cap and into a trio of Glencarin glasses we poured a reasonable sample. The color was a light golden amber showing it's youth. The nose was light and sweet with a bit of vanilla; a little toffey, a tad of oak. All very straight forward and fairly well balanced. This was a pleasent surprise. No off notes and some mild complexity. The flavor was mild; light, and sweet. Somewhat mono-dimensional, but again no off notes or unpleasentness. The finish is somewhat short, but it does have one. It is sweet with some nuttyness and quick fade out. No heat; burn, or harshness whatsoever. In as far as I can tell this most definately is a wheated bourbon recipe, as I can detect no presence of any rye chacteristics. Very playfull.

Not a unique "power bourbon" for study by the serious enthusiast, but plenty good for any mixed drink, or as a breakfast bourbon with bacon and eggs.

Many bottom shelf bottlings display some very bad maners. Off medicinal and sooty aromas and flavors, and harsh burning rough tannic finishes are common.

There is none of this in Bowman's bourbon, and that's what makes it good.

Linn

[angelshare]

The color was a light golden amber showing it's youth. The nose was light and sweet with a bit of vanilla; a little toffey, a tad of oak. All very straight forward and fairly well balanced. This was a pleasent surprise. No off notes and some mild complexity. The flavor was mild; light, and sweet. Somewhat mono-dimensional, but again no off notes or unpleasentness. The finish is somewhat short, but it does have one. It is sweet with some nuttyness and quick fade out. No heat; burn, or harshness whatsoever. In as far as I can tell this most definately is a wheated bourbon recipe, as I can detect no presence of any rye chacteristics. Very playfull.

Many bottom shelf bottlings display some very bad maners. Off medicinal and sooty aromas and flavors, and harsh burning rough tannic finishes are common.

There is none of this in Bowman's bourbon, and that's what makes it good.

Linn

Nicely put, Linn - you captured it perfectly.

This is another example in my opinion of how "young" does not necessarily mean "bad." Young bourbons may not be complex, but they can be good all the same.

[kbuzbee]

, or as a breakfast bourbon with bacon and eggs.

Linn

Linn, you kill me, you really do. Nice writeup. Have to try it someday.

Ken

[OneCubeOnly]

It would be interesting to do a side-by-side next to the standard Virginia Gentleman (80 proof, not The Fox)...I'd be curious how they compare!

[angelshare]

It would be interesting to do a side-by-side next to the standard Virginia Gentleman (80 proof, not The Fox)...I'd be curious how they compare!

My recollection of VG 80 was very negative, so I was surprised to find Bowman's so appealing. We ought to put that on the agenda for the next meeting.

[jbohan]

I don't think Bowman is a wheated bourbon, can somebody verify that ?