The other day, Steffani Scheurich brought by a couple of bottles of Lythgoe Bourbon and we sat down to taste them. The first bottle we tried was the single barrel Bourbon and I found it to be an excellent Bourbon, but I liked this Bourbon even better. Matt and I sat down and tasted both of these Bourbons for a YouTube video and Matt agreed with me that this bottle was superior to the first and that is saying a lot. Matt and I decided to consider this whiskey for the Whiskey of the Month and Matt went so far as to predict it as the Whiskey of the Year! So, the other day we sat down and did a blind tasting for the Whiskey of the Month. The competition was strong and there are a couple we are considering for Whiskey of the Month for next month since they are also strong contenders for Whiskey of the Year. Needless to say, the Lythgoe won this blind tasting, but just barely. Matt loved it and picked it, but I had it second, so we went for another round of blind tasting and the Lythgoe won. Here are our tasting notes.
Lythgoe Four Grain Bourbon
Proof: 94
Age: Nine Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Caramel, apricots, apples, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, blackberries, grapes, cereal grains and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Caramel, apples, dates, cinnamon spice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the apples and dates are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and citrus and chocolate come out in the flavor.
- Matt: Caramel and cotton candy with grapes and berries and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a note of strawberries to the taste. The pecan added a note of milk chocolate to the taste.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with lots of sweet oak wood, cinnamon and lingering fruit sweetness. The dried cranberry defined the fruit as ripe apples. The pecan made the finish very long with oak and lingering chocolate notes.
- Matt: Long with sweet oak wood, cherry wood smoke, and lingering caramel. The dried cranberry added notes of blackberry to the finish. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, caramel and lingering berry notes.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a My Father The Judge cigar. I think the chocolate notes in the smoke would bring out the caramel and chocolate notes of the Bourbon, but also, the Bourbon would enhance the chocolate notes in the smoke.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller