When I was in St. Louis attending the St. Louis Bourbon Festival, I ran into John Shumake, who was working the booth for Curley & Co. Distillery. They are sourcing their whiskey, but have plans to build a distillery on the site of the original Curley & Co. Distillery at Camp Nelson, Kentucky. Until then, they are sourcing their whiskey and letting Ashley Barnes, their Master Blender, work her magic for this brand.
She has done a good job. I came home with a bottle and Matt and I sat down and reviewed it. Here are our tasting notes.
Curley & Co. Single Barrel Bourbon
Proof: 122
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, raisins and apricots, a hint of baking spices, and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, raisins, and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, raisins, cinnamon, allspice, and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and ginger spice comes out to join the party. Tasted with a pecan the whiskey becomes a bit astringent with ginger and black pepper spice.
- Matt: Caramel, marshmallows, raisins and oak wood. The dried cranberry gave it a flavor of watermelon candy. The pecan brought out a malt syrup flavor.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and spice. The dried cranberry made the finish longer and spicier. The pecan made it very long and dry with oak and a lot of pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and raisins. The cranberry changed the fruit in the finish to watermelon candy. The pecan made the finish sweeter with oak and malt syrup.
I would pair this Bourbon with a NUB Maduro cigar. I think the vanilla and rich tobacco in the smoke would pair well with the vanilla and spices of the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller