This bottle was a gift from Wayne McBrayer and Rebecca Herman when they visited us back in December. It is a Bourbon made at the Bard Distillery in Graham, Kentucky. In 2015, Thomas and Kim Bard bought the old schoolhouse in Graham and started turning it into a modern distillery. The Cinder & Smoke Bourbon is made from a traditional mash bill of corn, rye and malted barley. It is then finished in Spanish Oloroso Sherry Casks. Matt and I sat down and tasted this bottle and here are our tasting notes.
Cinder & Smoke Bourbon Finished in Oloroso Sherry Casks
Proof: 100
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, raisins, raspberry, allspice and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, raisin bran, a touch of smokiness, oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, raisins, raspberries, allspice, white pepper and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry the white pepper and oak are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a rich butter caramel with a hint of chocolate and raspberries.
- Matt: Caramel, raisins, cinnamon, white pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry enhanced the white pepper and caramel. The pecan brought out dark fruit notes and chocolate.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak and white pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish even spicier, with lots of white pepper. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak, white pepper and a hint of lingering caramel.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and pepper. The dried cranberry made the finish spicier. The pecan added some lingering raisin to the finish.
I would pair this fine whiskey with a My Father The Judge cigar. I think the rich vanilla and chocolate notes in the smoke would pair well with the fruit and vanilla of the whiskey.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller