Tasting Notes: Widow Jane 10yo Blend Of Straight Bourbons

This post sponsored by the Glencairn Whisky Glass

The Widow Jane Distillery has been distilling for many years. The distillery is called “Widow Jane” because they get their water from the Rosendale Mines in upstate New York. This mine was known for the quality of the limestone pulled from it. The limestone is no longer mined there, but the water from the mine is gathered and shipped to Brooklyn to be made into whiskey. “Widow Jane” is the name of one of the mines. The distillery is also known for using Bloody Butcher red corn in their Bourbon.

The owners of the distillery have always sourced whiskey for many of their products. This is a common practice with new distilleries. They need cash flow until they have aged their whiskey. Sourced whiskey is what is in this bottle of whiskey. It takes a talented master blender to make a good product from sourced whiskey and Widow Jane distillery has such a Master in the form of Lisa Roper Wicker. Lisa is a very talented distiller with a great palate. She does double duty as the Master Distiller of Widow Jane Distillery and as Master Blender for their sourced products. She has blended whiskey from three different distilleries in three different States – Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana, to create this wonderful Bourbon. The youngest whiskey is 10 years old as per the age statement, but I suspect there is older whiskey in the blend. The result is a Bourbon that can be enjoyed neat, but will also make a great cocktail without losing its flavor when mixed with other spirits and/or fruits.

Widow Jane 10yo Blend of Straight Bourbons

Proof: 91

Age: 10 years old

Nose: Vanilla and lots of it, with some leather, spice – anise and ginger, and a hint of oak.

Taste: Caramel, leather, licorice, with some oak tannins. When tasted with a dried cranberry the caramel becomes stronger and the oak becomes more of sweet oak. When tasted with a pecan the spice becomes a white pepper spiciness with lots of caramel.

Finish: Dry with leather and oak. The cranberry makes the finish sweeter with lots of lingering caramel notes with the oak. The pecan made the finish longer with pepper and oak.

I am pairing this whiskey with a Nub Habano cigar. I like the rich tobacco with a little earthy hay and wood smoke note balanced by some cedar spice. The whiskey made the smoke sweeter with notes of vanilla and dried fruit. The smoke brought the licorice and oak in the whiskey. It was a very nice pairing.