Trackside Bourbon is the creation of Kentucky Artisan Distillery’s Master Distiller Jade Peterson and his friend and industry veteran, Jeremy Dever. They got together and created Trackside Distilling Company and blended barrels of whiskey from Kentucky Artisan Distillery to create this four grain Bourbon. The fourth grain is chocolate malt. Jade told me he learned from the experience of making the Bourbon that Bill Thomas and I made at Kentucky Artisan Distillery and made some barrels of Bourbon using yellow corn and chocolate malt (with rye and distiller’s malt) to create this exceptional whiskey. Rosemary and I were invited to the release party at the Kentucky Derby Museum the other day and I picked up a bottle there. It was sold at a very reasonable price of $60.00. Matt and I sat down to taste it the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Trackside Bourbon
Proof: 93
Age: No Age Statement (but Jade told me it was just short of five years old)
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, a hint of chocolate, malt, pears, baking spices and oak wood.
- Matt: Caramel, chocolate, hazelnuts, and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, pears, orange zest, cardamom and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the orange zest is enhanced and the cardamom is joined by a hint of cinnamon. Tasted with a pecan and the taste is caramel and milk chocolate with cinnamon and a floral white pepper.
- Matt: Caramel, chocolate, hazelnuts and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a taste of honey. The pecan enhanced the chocolate and the hazelnut.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with oak wood, cardamom and lingering orange zest. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak wood, cardamom and cinnamon. The pecan made the finish long and spicy with oak wood, chocolate and white pepper.
- Matt: Medium long with oak wood and tobacco. The dried cranberry brought out honey and chocolate to join the party. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood, chocolate, hazel nuts and tobacco.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a fine cigar that is rich in vanilla and cedar spice. I would reach for a Padron 1926 Serie Maduro cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller