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Four years ago, in 2021, the first release of A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon was released. Since it came from a distillery located in a state not typically associated with bourbon production, it went under the radar for many enthusiasts. It’s not like Abraham Bowman was an unknown or new producer, it’s just that people tend to forget about them because they’re not located within the borders of Kentucky, Tennessee or Indiana.
For enthusiasts that already knew about them, they were familiar with the quality of their spirits long before the first batch of A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength was released. Limited Time Offerings like “Sweet XVI,” “Last Millennium,” “Gingerbread,” “Bourbon Whiskey ‘Hazmat'” and others have been widely touted as proof that these guys know what they’re doing. Meanwhile, the rest of us schmucks were fighting over bottles like Pappy Van Winkle and the BTAC releases.
A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon
After the first “Cask Strength” release, the secondary market price for this label surged. Natives to Virginia and the surrounding area knew the cat was out of the bag, but still had good odds at scoring one themselves since you had to pick it up in person. However, as things usually go, a producer will pick up on the fact they could be selling more and making more money by increasing distribution. The downside is that quality tends to dip when you do that. That is what eventually happened to Stagg (Jr), after all.
Lucky for me, my good friend Mike (over at Mostly Peaceful Bourbon) bought a bottle of the 4th Batch of Cask Strength a few months ago and asked if I’d like to try it. How could I say no to that?!
A. Smith Bowman makeup
If you don’t know already, this bourbon was originally fermented and distilled into “High Wine” at Buffalo Trace Distillery. The new make was then trucked to Spotsylvania to undergo one more distillation before being introduced into the barrel. Bowman uses barrels that are sourced from the same barrel supplier (ISC) as Buffalo Trace. The only difference is they’re aged standing upright on pallets instead of ricked. This allows for more barrels to exist in a smaller footprint at the cost of less air movement between them. And while I can’t say exactly how that impacts maturation, it does make a difference. So the bottom line is you can still expect it to taste different than something from Buffalo Trace (who ricks everything to my knowledge).
The barrels that Master Distiller David Bock selected from were aged for a minimum of 10 years for Batch 4. In the previous editions, he’s selected barrels as young as 9-years-old (the 2023 release), but generally tries to stay right at the 10 year mark.
The proof between the batches have ranged between 135 and 141 proof. How do they get so high? My assumption is the lack of airflow between the barrels results in a higher humidity in the warehouse. Stifling the air movement is known to create higher proof. Don’t believe me? I recently learned this is the secret behind how a lot of distilleries in colder climates get such high barrel proofs during maturation (Mayor Pingree and Kings County to name a couple).
The distillate, by the way, is supposedly not Buffalo Trace Ryed Bourbon Mash Bill #1 or the high rye version (MB #2). It’s not even said to be the wheated bourbon – it’s just a specific mash bill that they’ve asked BT to distill for them. Whatever it is, it’s sure tasted a lot like MB #1 to me in the past, but let’s see what’s changed. I sampled this neat in a glencairn to find out.
Tasting Notes
Nose: The number one note that dominates not just the nose, but the entire dram (spoiler alert) is cherries. They’re everywhere. Cherry cordials, black cherries and cherry juice – it’s all of those things. Along with the cherries is a healthy amount of chocolate. Another spoiler alert, but you’re going to hear that a lot in this review too. If it wasn’t for the proof (which really isn’t terrible even for moderate whiskey drinkers), I’d be able to pick out more vanilla notes, but they’re constantly at risk of getting covered up. Then there’s the weighty oak scent that gives this a really nice, rounded mature scent. Other than that, the nose kind of sticks to those four elements… not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Palate: Ethanol begins to creep in if you hold it in your mouth for too long. And while you might be thinking “that sounds hot,” it’s really not. This drinks surprisingly low for its proof (I’d peg it at 118, haha). Despite the proof, there are lots of flavors to find. I’m getting loads of cherries (and some generic berry notes) and sure enough, chocolate follows closely behind. Caramel provides the sweetness within. There’s a tiny amount of mint that, when combined with the chocolate, tastes kind of like an Girl Scout Thin Mint cookie. Tannins revolve around oak and leather – the perfect amount actually. Spice comes in the form of cinnamon, red pepper flakes and a touch of cedar (is that a spice? It feels like it). The mouthfeel is extremely lush (I hate that word, but it applies here). Finally, I can taste some vanilla, but it still seems overpowered by the rest.
Finish: Tannins (mainly oak) take control. No, it’s not bitter, but the chocolate flavors that linger on my tongue are getting “darker,” haha. I also find a bit of leather at the end. The caramel sweets never really let up here, they’re just not as prevalent. The overwhelming amount of cherries so far begins to fade just a bit. I can find some citrus orange notes alongside them.
Score: 8.5/10
Much like I remember finding the last batch of A. Smith Bowman CS, this bourbon almost touches the levels of George T. Stagg – almost. The distance that separates them comes from that last little bit of tannic maturity from an extra five years in a barrel. GTS wouldn’t have this much fruit, either. That’s not an insult to either (I happen to love a lot of fruit in my bourbon)- just an observation.
The point I think I’m overlooking is to say that fans of Buffalo Trace would struggle to find appreciable differences between this bottle of Bowman and any other cask strength offering from Buffalo Trace. That should be all you need to know that this is next-level stuff. The apple doesn’t fall too far from the Sazerac Tree.
Final Thoughts
If you have access to buy a bottle of A. Smith Bowman at retail price, do not blink. Just do it. If you have a GTS appetite but don’t have GTS money, consider picking up this bottle on the secondary market. It’s about half the price (GTS – $625 and AB24 – $350 at the time of writing) and about 85% of the experience. That’s about as much of a bargain as you’re going to find these days. All of this is to say that Bowman Cask Strength is the kind of bottle that you won’t feel guilty opening after throwing down the cash. It’s worth every penny.