Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Discuss any bourbon related topics here that do not belong in a forum below.

Moderator: Squire

Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Tue Apr 08, 2014 3:46 pm

I tried searching the reviews in here on the Jefferen's Ocean and nothing comes up...at least with how I'm searching LOL...

I was fortunate today to pick up a bottle at my local shop for $70...more of an intriguing concept than anything else.

Anyone give this a taste yet?

All of the on line reviews give it good marks...

The constant "movement" in the barrels while at sea has to impart something to the juice...they claim the motion helps rotate the juice in contact with the oak barrel...sounds plausible...we'll see if it suits my tastes...curious as to whether others have given it a go or not.

Supposedly only 600 bottles in this release...so I feel good to have snagged one!...

Joe.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby Squire » Tue Apr 08, 2014 4:55 pm

Really a marketing stunt that neatly sidesteps the fact a quirky aging trick doesn't improve the quality of the whisky that was put in the barrel.
Squire
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 772
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm
Location: Jackson, MS

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:19 pm

Squire,

Have you personally tried the stuff?

I have a bottle sitting here on the counter...haven't cracked it open yet...although I'd like too...I think it's too early...LOL...

Joe.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby Squire » Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:50 pm

The whisky? Yes, a number of times, under other labels. I believe the one you have is actually the Ocean II.
Squire
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 772
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm
Location: Jackson, MS

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Tue Apr 08, 2014 6:07 pm

Yes...I believe this one is Ocean II...although it isn't labeled that way on the bottle that I can see.

Ocean 1 I believe had 250 bottles in the lot...this one I believe has 600 and is called Ocean II as you have noted.

I knew this wasn't the first time this was marketed...but is it the first time for Jefferson's distillery?...I like the Jefferson's Bourbon to begin with...

What other distillers/bottlers have marketed aged on the water?

Isn't there one out there that supposedly uses subwoofers to induce sound waves on the barrels as they age to promote "motion"?

While I tend to agree with you about the marketing ploy...I have to believe the movement of the juice to "rotate" what is actually coming in contact with the wood has to provide some benefit other than color?
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby Squire » Wed Apr 09, 2014 11:36 am

Ok, let's see, where to start. In the first place there is no Jeffersons Distillery and never has been one. Castle Brands, who own the Jefferson label, is a New York based NDP (non distilling producer) who source their Bourbon on the market then pay a contractor to bottle the product.

Aging Bourbon aboard ship is not new, actually from an historical perspective one could say that's how Bourbon got it's beginning. In the 1820s new make whisky was shipped in barrel from merchant warehouses in Bourbon County, KY, downriver to New Orleans where a market developed and "Bourbon" whisky began to be requested by name. The merchants discovered though a better whisky could be made by aging it longer in the warehouses and that is the model still followed today. A similar pattern developed for brandy and Cognac which was shipped in barrel on sailing vessels, the 18 wheelers of the time.

The question of whether Bourbon is improved today just by adding a boat trip to the end of the aging cycle is problematic because simply extracting more from the wood is usually not a good thing. The wood sugars, vanilins and other wonderful flavoring elements in a new barrel are used up by about 7-8 years and after that what is extracted is oak tannins which can cause bitterness unless filtered out. It sounds good on paper but in actual taste tests conducted by Jeffersons their regular whisky beat out the Ocean and actually appeared to be the more mature.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could- ... .html?vp=1

I think what we can take from this is what matters is the whisky is well aged and leaving it undisturbed in the warehouse still produces the best results.
Squire
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 772
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm
Location: Jackson, MS

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Wed Apr 09, 2014 3:09 pm

Squire,

Thanks for the clarification on the distillery and where the juice comes from for Jeffersons...While I enjoy the Jefferson's offerings...I'm not a true follower of theirs...as is evidenced by my comment earlier.

I may be mistaking the link you provided but the last segment in it shows Jason Brauner, the owner of Bourbon’s Bistro, FAILING to distinguish the "younger" Oceans against the OLDER 17 year Jefferson's...the way I take it...he couldn't tell that the "younger" Ocean wasn't a 17 year old Bourbon and in fact he thought the Oceans WAS the 17 year old bourbon!!!...so to me...it says the Ocean aging DOES DO SOMETHING TO THE TASTE...right?...am I misinterpreting the video results you posted?

Watch the last 1 minute or so to see the blind taste test and results...

Doesn't this show that the Ocean Aging DOES help mellow the taste quicker and simply leaving it in a rickhouse to age may not be the best?...(I know "best" is VERY subjective")

Joe.



Squire wrote:It sounds good on paper but in actual taste tests conducted by Jeffersons their regular whisky beat out the Ocean and actually appeared to be the more mature.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could- ... .html?vp=1

I think what we can take from this is what matters is the whisky is well aged and leaving it undisturbed in the warehouse still produces the best results.
Last edited by crappie_fisherman on Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:29 am, edited 3 times in total.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby Squire » Wed Apr 09, 2014 4:47 pm

My interpretation is the opposite of yours Joe. What the taster discovered was the sea trip did not in fact make the Ocean II taste any older. The other Bourbon he tasted it against was not 17 years old, it is in fact the standard Jefferson Reserve which does not carry an age statement. Castle Brands is very coy about mentioning a blend of ages but all NAS really means for Kentucky Straight Bourbon is it's at least 4 years old.
Squire
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 772
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm
Location: Jackson, MS

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Wed Apr 09, 2014 7:23 pm

Squire,

Watch the video again.

About 1:38 into the video you will see this statement (whether you believe it or not is another story I guess).

But you will see

Ocean aged 7 years (7 months at sea) ... which there by itself is a contradiction to the published info that it was aged 3-4 years at sea...but be that as it may...

Jefferson's Reserve aged 12 - 20 years (blended)

Right there tells me that the way I am interpreting it (based on those numbers...again which you may not agree with) is stating that the "younger" Ocean aged bourbon could not be distinguished by this gentleman's tasting...in fact he was fooled into thinking by taste the "younger" bourbon which was aged for some time at sea was actually older than he thought since he chose the older bourbon thinking was in fact the younger Ocean bourbon....

I guess I'm not sure how it could be interpreted any other way based on the facts as presented in the video that you posted the link too...

Again...you can argue with the age statements...and that's a different story...but based on the facts as presented in the video...the gentleman chose the "older" bourbon as the Ocean which leads me to believe the "younger" and actual Ocean bourbon tasted to him as the OLDER bourbon...

And to quote Jason right near the end of your video.

"There is no bad bourbon there is just better bourbon and this is one of the top...probably my top 10"

I'm not sure how I am misinterpreting the link you posted to be honest...also about 3/4 of the way through...Jason mentions the one bourbon in the taste test as a "17 year old"...his words.

Not arguing...just drawing my conclusion based on the facts presented in your video link.

Joe.
Last edited by crappie_fisherman on Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby loopline » Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:59 pm

crappie_fisherman wrote:Squire,

Watch the video again.

About 1:38 into the video you will see this statement (whether you believe it or not is another story I guess).

But you will see

Ocean aged 7 years (7 months at sea) ... which there by itself is a contradiction to the published info that it was aged 3-4 years at sea...but be that as it may...

Jefferson's Reserve aged 12 - 20 years (blended)

Right there tells me that the way I am interpreting it (based on those numbers...again which you may not agree with) is stating that the "younger" Ocean aged bourbon could not be distinguished by this gentleman's tasting...in fact he was fooled into thinking by taste the "younger" bourbon which was aged for some time at sea was actually older than he thought since he chose the older bourbon thinking was in fact the younger Ocean bourbon....

I guess I'm not sure how it could be interpreted any other way based on the facts as presented in the video that you posted the link too...

Again...you can argue with the age statements...and that's a different story...but based on the facts as presented in the video...the gentleman chose the "older" bourbon as the Ocean which leads me to believe the "younger" and actual Ocean bourbon tasted to him as the OLDER bourbon...

Not arguing...just drawing my conclusion based on the facts presented in your video link.

Joe.


I love Jeffersons Reserve, and I want to try the Ocean, but I live in "nowheres-ville" Indiana, so it seems unlikley Ill find it and Indiana has strict laws about importing it via mail, only some companies have licenses to ship it in, that or they just haven't had any issues so they do it.

That said, regardless of the video, you have both, have someone setup a blind taste test for you, then write it down and then post back the results. I don't ever trust other people, Ive learned the hard way. Reviews are great, but Ive had more then one bottle recommended to me by people, that upon trying it, I was quite displeased to have spent the money.

Its all subjective, but Id love to hear how you rate them, since you have both.
loopline
Registered User
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:55 pm

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby RandyG » Thu Apr 10, 2014 12:00 am

Uncork that sucker and give her a try. If it is anything like their 17YO, it's going to be great! I have both the 17 and 18's and they are spectacular juice.

RG
User avatar
RandyG
Registered User
 
Posts: 262
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:10 pm
Location: Minnesota

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby coffeecupman » Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:10 am

I bought some of this, but for different reasons.

I work at sea, so it has a kitschy sort of novelty to a sailor.

I don't expect it to blow my mind. I expect to put a novelty sign on it on the bar that says "sailors only", and make a fun joke out of it.

It will get opened, though. I do expect it to be drinkable, if not fantastic.

ccm
coffeecupman
Registered User
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Thu Apr 10, 2014 7:20 am

RandyG wrote:Uncork that sucker and give her a try. If it is anything like their 17YO, it's going to be great! I have both the 17 and 18's and they are spectacular juice.

RG


Randy,

I did uncork it last night...I can sum it up in one word...WOW.

While it is not a cheap bottle by any means...it sure is good. Wonderful front end with lots of caramels hitting you early and repeatedly into the mid pallate where I picked up some vanilla and oakiness and the finish was oh so smooth...then after a couple of minutes you DO get a hint of saltiness that creeps into your mouth...a wonderful finish IMO to the sweeter caramel/vanilla and then the salt which is always a nice combo in foods and also in hooch! At 90 proof there is very little to no burn at all...(I was drinking neat)...it was incredibly smooth for sipping...I was and am impressed and would recommend this to anyone looking for a nice smooth occasional sipper.

I will share this with friends when they come over...well those that appreciate sipping and not shooting (LOL).

coffeecupman,

I do not think you or your fellow sailors will be disappointed!

Joe.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby coffeecupman » Thu Apr 10, 2014 8:36 am

Thanks, Joe. You sold me. I have a line on a few more, and I think I'll pick them up.

...for the barnacle-encrusted bunker. Arr!

ccm
coffeecupman
Registered User
 
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:04 am

Re: Jefferson's Ocean...any try it?

Unread postby crappie_fisherman » Thu Apr 10, 2014 10:04 am

loopline wrote:I love Jeffersons Reserve, and I want to try the Ocean, but I live in "nowheres-ville" Indiana, so it seems unlikley Ill find it and Indiana has strict laws about importing it via mail, only some companies have licenses to ship it in, that or they just haven't had any issues so they do it.

...

Its all subjective, but Id love to hear how you rate them, since you have both.


Loopline,

I am in Indiana as well...and was able to find a bottle...granted I'm not in nowheres-ville though...but by comparision to other states...most of Indiana is nowheres-ville...LOL...

I was able to find my bottle at one of the local liquor shops without much prodding...although apparently the manager had it "set aside" for himself...and somehow my lovely wife convinced him he should sell it...:-)...I just have to give him a taste...hopefully he meant the hooch and not my wife! :lol:

As far as tastes being subjective...absolutely correct...I've got many friends that love totally different flavor profiles than me...for instance my tastes and HH juice just don't seem to click...

Joe.
crappie_fisherman
Registered User
 
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Oct 27, 2013 9:04 am

Next

Return to Bourbon, Straight

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 42 guests