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A few months ago, t8ke – from the popular subreddit r/Bourbon – was offered a chance by Colorado-based non-distiller producer (NDP for short) Art of the Spirits to select some single barrels of bourbon. Art of the Spirits sources barrels of whiskey and releases them at barrel strength to multiple groups and retailers.
One of the main things that sticks out the most about their products is the artwork on the front of the bottles. They revolve around military units, outlaws or first responders. But lately they have been known for offering highly-aged single barrel picks for (comparatively) rock-bottom prices.
T8ke sampled through the barrels for his single barrel program and ultimately settled on two. One was a 19-year-old ryed bourbon and the other was a 20-year-old wheated bourbon. Those age statements would be enough to grab any enthusiasts attention, but the kicker was that these were both labeled as being from distilled and aged in Missouri.
The Missouri Mystery
Immediately, speculation swirled as to the provenance of this bourbon. Based on their age, the distillery who made them would have been producing bourbon since 2004 at the earliest. The only problem was that there was only one distillery in the state that was known to be operational during that time: McCormick Distilling Company in Weston, MO. The distillery had been actively making spirits during that time, so it seemed like an open and shut case.
Not so fast! After pulling back a few more layers, it was discovered that the distillery wasn’t distilling any type of whiskey around that time. Their focus was only with clear spirits. The last time McCormick had sold any bourbon was in the mid-90’s under the “BJ Holladay” name. But even then it was sourced from Heaven Hill. Actual bourbon made in Weston, MO hadn’t been distilled since the mid-80’s and didn’t resume until 2016.
But Art of the Spirits was steadfast in their claim that this was an official Missouri Bourbon with a 20 year age statement. With no other distillery fitting into the timeline, it was time to think outside of the box to find out who made it.
What if the bourbon was distilled privately?
While I was writing an article with my observations on the mystery behind these 19 and 20-year-old barrels, I was being fed some information from a couple of sources who had insider knowledge of where these bourbons came from and what the secret behind them was.
The story is that the actual distiller of these barrels – and other barrels that carry similar age statements that are distilled in Missouri – are a family of farmers that came from generations of bootleggers. They have distilled their own whiskey somewhere in the Ozarks, barreled it, and tucked them away in a quasi “dunnage-style” warehouse/cave to use as they please.
Later on, that family of distillers decided to begin their own licensed and fully-legal distillery where they craft Missouri Bourbon and other whiskies to this day. Word on the street is that some of the products that this distillery sells have incorporated more than a few highly-aged barrels into the blends (or bottled them as single barrels). But don’t expect to see those high age statements explicitly listed on the labels – they realize that they cannot legally label their bottles with an age statement that’s older than the DSP.
So how does Art of the Spirits get away with putting the age statement on their bottles? Likely because of the NDA that they signed that keeps the true source of the barrels hidden. Wouldn’t they get in trouble if these barrels were distilled, aged and sold privately? That’s a grey area as well. Missouri law says that individuals are legally allowed to distill up to 200 gallons of spirits for their own personal consumption. If these are being sold and transferred, it might be reasonable to believe that any taxes or paperwork could be retroactively paid and filed.
I know I haven’t given you the name of this distillery, but I plan on reviewing a bottle from them in the near future that I will leave some breadcrumbs sprinkled within for you to pick up on – so keep an eye out. Until then, let’s get down to business and see how this bourbon tastes.
Tasting Notes
Nose: The nose smells strangely vegetal, which does not bode well for any aged whiskey. There is a combination of mint and herbal scents that you wouldn’t think would be in a wheated bourbon either. I find lighter notes of vanilla and powdered sugar, but no real sweet caramel notes that bourbon is known for. Baking spices are limited to cinnamon while the only tannic note I can find is wet wood. While this doesn’t have all of the telltale signs of being young, craft whiskey, it certainly doesn’t come off as an oaky, rich or bold bourbon. I was expecting more.
Palate: The flavors I find on the tongue are mostly what I would expect to find in a wheated bourbon. Cinnamon Red Hots are front and center while peppercorn lends a hand to amp up the heat. Tannins come not from oak, but a mixture of cedar, ash and walnut shells. There is also some green wood that lurks underneath. Just like I said with the nose, this might have a 20 year age statement on the label, but it does not taste that old. I’d place it at around 6 years old based on taste. There is a damp earthiness that starts to creep in but it’s held in check by fruits like prunes, black cherry and citrus oranges. Fennel bulbs make me wonder if there is some rye hidden in the mash bill.
Finish: A finish that is spicier than I expected with ground pepper and cinnamon. The fruit turns into astringent persimmon. It’s only lightly sweet at the end. Otherwise, dry oak and dry leather round out the more obvious notes that remain. Overall, there’s not much I find enjoyable near the end.
Score: 5.8/10
Nowhere in my tasting did I observe any flavors or scents that came close to what a 10-year-old bourbon would taste like – let alone a bottle of 20-year-old bourbon. Even the color didn’t convince me of its age. If it is truly 20-years-old, then it tastes like it’s been aged in uncharred or previously used cooperage. You may be asking yourself “doesn’t it have to be aged in a new charred oak barrel to be called a bourbon?” and I would agree with your question. Unfortunately, I have no answer. What I do know is that there were no oaky or caramelized notes to be found.
This is a bourbon that kind of falls on its face right out the gate. It’s something I would expect from a craft producer (which, in essence, it is), but not something I would think tastes like this after so long in the barrel. Frankly, it’s a bust.
Final Thoughts
I know many people that bit the bullet on this bottle and it’s 19-year-old sibling. Yet after they opened it, not a single one has said anything positive about their experience. Most are kicking themselves for paying the price they did when there are much better bourbons to buy for cheaper.
I tried to warn as many people as I could that when a bourbon like this comes along and seems too good to be true, it probably is. I think that’s a lesson that needs to be repeated often in the whiskey community. I understand that everyone is getting tight with their money while also trying to jump on the next big thing. But those two things never mix.
The lesson in all of this is that there are no secret mystery producers who have a bourbon that’s equal to or better than the big producers. Making great bourbon requires time, patience and know-how. I think it’s commendable that there are DIY’ers out there who have tried taken the time to make and age a whiskey like this for as long as they did. I bet it impresses the hell out of their friends who they give it to and show off a cave full of whiskey barrels. But I don’t think that automatically puts them on the same pedestal as other established producers. So in the future, always do your homework on who the producer is and why its so cheap. You may just save yourself some money that could’ve been used for better whiskey.
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