Background

Let’s start with the ocean’s of it all, since the “ocean aged” line of Jefferson’s has arguably become their most famous (or infamous, depending on how you feel) set of offerings. To hear Clay Risen tell it in his indispensable field guide book “Bourbon”, Jefferson’s Founder Trey Zoeller got the idea for this offering while aboard his friend’s conversation research boat. Seeing the bourbon slosh around in Trey’s glass, they decided to stash a barrel of new make on the boat for three and a half years. After the resulting whiskey came out with a powerful flavor profile, Trey decided to operationalize it. They contract with commercial shipping companies, and age existing barrels an extra 6 to 8 months. Jefferson’s even details the voyages on their website, and two of our three offerings today are Voyage 26 (Double Barrel Rye) and Voyage 27 (Jack Rose’s “Boardwalk Brittle” pick).

For this review we’re walking through everything on offer at Jack Rose’s recent Jefferson’s tasting, which was:

• Jefferson’s Very Old, Very Small Batch

• Jefferson’s Ocean Double Rye Voyage 26

• Jefferson’s Ocean Voyage 27, Jack Rose “Boardwalk Brittle” pick

• BONUS Dusty Sam Houston Batch 46 (bottled by McLain and Kyne, founded by Trey Zoeller and his father) 

Jefferson’s Very Old, Very Small Batch (NAS despite being labeled “very old”- Jefferson’s Website is no help either, 90.2 Proof)

Nose: Wildflower honey, black tea.

Palate: Green tea, orange, honestly a lot of tea and a dab of honey.

Finish: Nutmeg, cinnamon, orange peel, pepper. Nice spicy finish.

Good (5/10)

Overall: I especially enjoy the finish on this, which hits sweet and spicy notes well. It's a light and easy sipper- which cuts both ways. The flavor profile (orange, tea, honey, spice) is delightful but missing some punch.

Jefferson’s Ocean Double Rye Voyage 26 (NAS, 96 Proof)

Nose: Anise, cinnamon apple, honey, candied orange.

Palate: Black licorice, citrus, honey and an array of baking spices.

Finish: Damp wood, barrel spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, pretty dry honestly. Too dry.

Sub-par (4/10)

Overall: My compatriot at the tasting called this pour “spikey”, as in uneven from start to finish. Great nose, and the palate starts well and then kind of descends into a sensation of eating a spoonful of spices leading to a dry and off putting finish. On the first sip I was into this, and then each subsequent taste I became less and less enthused.

Jefferson’s Ocean Bourbon Voyage 27 “Boardwalk Brittle” Jack Rose Pick (NAS, 121.4 Proof)

Nose: Toffee and yup, another case of "am I getting incepted by Jack Rose"- peanut brittle, cinnamon cake.

Palate: Oily, salted caramel, orange peel, toffee, spiced and candied nuts.

Finish: Black pepper, a lot of candied orange, more salted caramel.

Very Good to Great (6.5/10)

Overall: I mean it just blows the rest out of the water to be honest. This is pretty complex, and it does feel like I can sip this and pull some different note every time. It has a great oily texture and some fun salinity you don't normally get from American Whiskey as well. This is the first pour where I feel like I can somewhat taste the beneficial aspects of the ocean aging process.

Sam Houston Bourbon Batch 46 (NAS, 85.6 Proof)

Nose: Caramel chews, powdered sugar

Palate: Sweet wood, some more caramel, oak

Finish: Pretty wood forward, coffee grounds, black pepper.

Sub-par to Good (4.5/10)

Overall: The proof of this just isn't doing it a ton of favors. I try not to be a big proof hound, as I’ve had plenty of delicious 90-100 proof pours, there just isn't a ton here flavor wise to knock you back. It's pretty wood forward, suggesting some fun older whiskeys in the blend… just would love to see how this shows at closer to 100 proof even.