Jefferson’s Tropics Aged in Humidity (Singapore) Bourbon Review

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This review has been a long time coming. When I originally read the Jefferson’s Tropics press release back in 2023, I rolled my eyes. Jefferson’s has been pumping out low-proof, non-age stated gimmicky bourbon (and rye) for over a decade. Why would this be any different?

Then I began to read into the literature for the release and started to open my mind to the possibilities of what they were selling. I might have been too harsh in my assessment of the brand because I do find Jefferson’s Ocean to be a decent product. I’ve had a handful of the cask strength voyages and thought they were tasty and well-done. Even still, it’s not like I was going to chase down every release.

Part of the reason behind my love/hate relationship with Jefferson’s is that their sourced bourbon tastes so non-descript. Most producers have a hallmark of flavor profile that enthusiasts will pick up on. Jefferson’s is never outright offensive, but their offerings don’t have a specific trait to make you say “oh, this is Jefferson’s I’m tasting.” This is why I routinely skip over it whenever I see it on a shelf or at a bar.

Jefferson’s Tropics – like Ocean but with a twist

Jefferson’s Tropics – which is directly related to Jefferson’s Ocean – takes the additional step of being aged in another country altogether. Whereas “Ocean” sees barrels packed into specialized storage containers for a dream cruise around the world; Tropics sees those containers dropped off at a specific country (Singapore in this instance) to soak in its climate for many months. The inaugural batch of Tropics spent 18 months there to be exact.

Part of me wonders if Jefferson’s even intended to leave the barrels in Singapore in the first place. Obviously, there was a worldwide event that occurred between the time the voyage began (2019) and when the containers returned to US soil (2023). I haven’t read any literature expanding on the events surrounding the concept behind Tropics, but I have to believe that this release wasn’t exactly planned to be this way. As Bob Ross would say, it could have been a “happy little accident.”

My theory is that the 9 shipping containers of barrels (720 barrels in total) originally set out in 2019 to be a Jefferson’s Ocean voyage – perhaps Voyage 20 or 21 due to their closeness in timeline. Since these voyages stop at a dozen (or more) ports along their journey, the timeline of when the ship would hit the port of Singapore roughly coincides with the Pandemic lockdown in those areas of the world. The reason why Jefferson’s (or most companies in general) don’t like to dwell on the time period of the Pandemic too much is because they fear their product will be associated with bad memory’s of consumers. Still, I’m surprised I haven’t read many other reviewers putting the pieces together on the timeline.

Quick Bourbon stats

Jefferson’s claims that the bourbon in these Tropics barrels was already “fully matured” before it even embarked on its voyage. That’s nothing new to the brand in general. I would assume that fully mature means that the barrels were at least four years old before beginning their trip across the world. This would also imply that by time the barrels came back to the US in 2023 means that they are at least eight years old. Honestly, that beats my expectations of what I believe the average age of Jefferson’s products are. It could also explain why Jefferson’s Tropics fetches a premium over what typical bottles of Jefferson’s Ocean run ($75 vs $90).

We still don’t know a source of the barrels that were sent to Singapore. Previously, Jefferson’s had sourced bourbon from Barton and perhaps some rye from Kentucky Artisan Distillery. At some point in recent years they began to use Bardstown Bourbon Company to contract distill barrels for them. I also believe that they’ve sourced some barrels from Willett – but I’ll expand on that more in an upcoming review. Just don’t go expecting the source of these secret barrels to be Buffalo Trace or Wild Turkey.

The only thing we know about the bourbon is that it probably uses a ryed bourbon mash bill (since wheated bourbon ones are very obviously marked) and that it has a higher proof than standard Ocean products – coming in at 104 instead of the typical 90 proof.

The main attraction to Jefferson’s Tropics is what the hot, humid climate does to barrels of bourbon over the period of 18 months. So let’s dive in to see what difference that made to the bourbon inside. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Mixed berry jam is the first scents that my nose picks up on. It’s followed by notes of seasoned oak and plenty of vanilla latte with cinnamon sprinkled on top. Sweetness comes from a mix of both caramel and honeycomb. The tropical environment may not have created any new or unusual scents, but I’m enjoying the pungency of each note I described immensely. It’s a lovely nose and it’s probably made better by the fact that Jefferson’s raised the proof.

Palate: The first flavor sensations to hit my tongue comprise of various baking spices and tannins. Cinnamon, clove, allspice and oak spice all give serious punch to each sip. The bourbon is plenty sweet with the caramel from the nose somewhat disappearing and honey becoming more obvious. Fruit notes like Cherries Jubilee, strawberries, apricots, and a slight banana flavor are right up my alley. There is an obscure taste – like somebody added a pinch of sea salt to my glen – at the end that reminds me of Jefferson’s Ocean. I think this is a trait for all Ocean’s releases and explain what I think happens to it here. There is one small ding against the dram and that’s this reoccurring slight bitterness I find throughout. Overall, It’s not enough to really detract from my enjoyment so far.

Finish: The finish is well rounded and continues with the central theme so far of fruit, oak, vanilla bean and baking spices. All three of these traits continue after the sip is complete and sticks around in my mouth for a moderately long time. The proof has absolutely powered this machine so far and I think that Jefferson’s needs to consider bottling more of their bourbon at 104. I hope their product development team is reading this.

Score: 7.9/10

I was hoping that I could determine the source of the bourbon in these barrels by the end of my time with this dram, but ended up more confused than ever. Initially I had the expectation I’d taste some telltale Barton flavors like leather and banana. I only ended up getting the banana part of it on the palate. The oddest thing about it is that it did have a few traits that reminded me of Willett’s own distillate with strong baking spices (cinnamon) and berries.

I’ve been made aware that Jefferson’s has sourced some Willett distillate for their products, but I didn’t expect to see it this early. In retrospect it does kind of line up with other producers also putting sourced Willett in their bottles around that same time like Old Kirk, Hirsch and even Barrell Craft Spirits. If all of those brands were charging around $90 for their versions, that would actually make Jefferson’s Tropics quite the steal in terms of value. That’s a sentence I thought I’d never say.

Final Thoughts

I was dead set on telling you that I did not recommend Jefferson’s Tropics based solely on the fact it’s a poor value. But now that I seem to have talked myself into the possibility that it could be decently-aged, sourced Willett at a nice proof point, I think I’ve changed my mind. The story of where it aged and how it got there is even more intriguing – and I love a good story to go along with my bottle.

So you know what? Screw it. I do recommend this bottle. It checks all my boxes for a great bourbon and I think that you should buy it. I’d still like to see more transparency with the brand, but I will put my name behind this release. Hold off on buying that next bottle of Barrell, Russell’s Reserve, Four Roses or whatever else you have in your hand that’s $90 and pick this up instead (if you can still find it). Here’s to hoping that Jefferson’s keeps these Tropics releases coming. I’ll be looking forward to the next one.