Western Reserve Bourbon is produced by Western Reserve Distillers of Lakewood, Ohio. According to their website, they are family owned and source their organic grains from farms within 150 miles of the distillery. This blend of straight Bourbons is a small batch blend of 3-5 barrels. They took some four to six year old Bourbon and blended it with a fourteen year old Bourbon. This whiskey is made from barrels they have sourced from elsewhere. The label does not give much information, but does say it is bottled by Western Reserve Distillers and the whiskey is “made from grain”. No other information is given on the label or website. The whiskey is good and Matt and I tasted it. Here are our tasting notes.
Western Reserve Blend of Straight Bourbons
Proof – 86
Age – Four Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla and corn with a little banana fruit and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, brown sugar, bananas with a little oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla and banana pudding with some allspice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry brings out blackberry and sour cherry fruit notes. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a caramel and the oak wood is enhanced.
- Matt: Vanilla and caramel with a little cayenne pepper and oak. The dried cranberry brought out notes of cherry and vanilla. The pecan brought out notes of toasted almonds.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak, white pepper and allspice. The dried cranberry made the finish shorter and sweeter with lingering notes of blackberry and sour cherries. The pecan added a note of chocolate to the oak and spices to the finish.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and cayenne pepper spice. The dried cranberry brought out notes of toasted nuts with the oak and cayenne pepper spice. The pecan added a lingering note of cherries to the oak and spice.
I would pair this Bourbon with a cigar that has smoke that was rich in earthy tobacco notes, but also with a little vanilla and spice. I think I would reach for a My Father Le Bijou 1922. I think that would fit the requirements well.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller