Old Man Winter Bourbon Review

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I very much dislike Preservation Distillery. I don’t like the way they resurrected once-heralded labels only to fill them with Canadian Whiskey and charge obscene prices. I don’t like the way they have been so secretive about the sources of other whiskey they bottle. And I really didn’t like the way they were so vague about the makeup of most of their blends. They’re riding on the coattails of their past and unwitting consumers have found out the hard way that some of their bottles aren’t what they seem.

So why am I reviewing this bottle of Old Man Winter? Because I was bored and it was staring me down from a shelf across the room. That stupid font… that nonsensical white wax…and the callback to the Black Hills? What even does that have to do with bourbon? But I had an idea. I was going to get a pour and tell the whole world just how bad it was. That’ll show those jerks down at Preservation.

Old Man Winter Bourbon

So what is this stuff anyway? It says it’s bourbon so at least I know I won’t choke like I did on the Rare Perfection 15 Year Canadian Whiskey. Where’s it sourced from? Breaking Bourbon said it was a blend from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. Then they said that the handwritten portion indicated it was only Kentucky and Indiana. They also had a different batch (C-2J-4, 102.2 Proof) from what I’m reviewing today (C-XJ-4, 109.8 Proof). So it’s possible the blend is different.

However, all other publications/bloggers indicated that it’s a blend of 8 or 9 year-old MGP bourbon (75/21/4 is the rumor) and Preservation’s own 6-year-old pot still wheated bourbon. Ugh, I’m always leery about pot still wheated bourbon. But I actually didn’t know any of that coming into this review. So when I start my tasting notes section, just know I went into it blind. I’m going to leave the parts up where I was speculating what I was tasting as I go along. I think it’ll be interesting to see my comparisons after the fact.

I don’t have too much more to say about this bourbon. So let’s get ready to burn this mother down. I sampled it neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Sweet and fruity scents of Christmas fruitcake and orchard fruit combine with toffee, vanilla and honey buns. There is a hint of grape soda lurking about. Is Eagle Rare in here somewhere? Tannins aren’t this drams strong points (at least on the nose) which make me wonder if there is much age here. But I’m not getting any obvious youthful notes, so what gives? Is this just super filtered? 

Palate: Rich and coating with a really balanced heat. Fruity flavors (jams, orchard fruit butter and that ever-so-sneaky grape note) lead up front. I detect no nuttiness at all, so I guess I can rule out Beam, Heaven Hill and Wild Turkey as potential sources for the bourbon inside. I find other flavors like cinnamon coffee cake (Willett?!), honey buns and other more generic baked goods. There is some oak, oak spice and leather which kind of lead me to believe there is Barton in the mix since that’s what their high-rye bourbon has a lot of. Overall, this is balanced, flavorful and has the perfect amount of proof. But what is this? 

Finish: Moderate in length and that’s honestly surprising considering the richness of the palate. If anything, the finish ends too quickly for how impressive it’s been up to this point. But while it’s still here, I can find honey, clove, vanilla creme and a hint of mint. There are even some lingering floral notes like wildflowers. Oddly, I want to attribute that to a youthful wheated bourbon more than a ryed bourbon. 

Score: 8.3/10

Dammit! What is this stuff and why do I like it? It’s confoundingly good from the standpoint that while I wasn’t sure what I was drinking, it was hitting all the right spots with fruit, sweets and some floral notes that reminded me of wheated bourbon. That’s strange to say because floral notes usually would indicate a high-rye whiskey to me. Does anyone else get that as well?

As I was writing out my notes, I had underlined that I thought it was a blend of Willett’s wheated bourbon and Barton’s high-rye mash bill. I guessed Willett because my sensory panel seemed like it was telling me that I was drinking something with Maker’s Mark in it. But Maker’s doesn’t source their bourbon out (even though they’re pretty close to Preservation Distillery) so I went with Willett since I find similarities between their wheated bourbons. The Barton guess was solely by geographical reasons as well as the fact there is a ton of their stuff on the open market.

Final Thoughts

Color me impressed with the fact that a producer like Preservation Distillery got their own distillate to play so nicely with MGP bourbon. I don’t know whether I’m more in shock about the fact that I didn’t catch a whiff of any off-notes or that it tasted like a cohesive bourbon. But I can’t deny that I was impressed and really enjoyed what was in my glass. And yes, it hurts my brain to write that last sentence.

I don’t know what I think about Preservation anymore. They’re still on my shit list, but I guess I’ll at least have a little bit of an open mind when I see another strange bottle from them… but only if it says it’s a bourbon!