Jefferson’s Bourbon Releases a New Expression with a Special Finish

By Sam Slaughter August 8, 2018

Jefferson’s Bourbon, a Louisville-based small-batch producer, is best-known for blending and the products that come out of that experimentation. The brand’s slogan, after all, is “Alchemy is everything,” which should give you a hint at the mindset right from the get-go. Jefferson’s newest experiment is once again exploring the wood involved in the bourbon-making process: a custom barrel to finish the Kentucky whiskey.

Jefferson's Bourbon Twin Oak Custom Barrel — Jefferson's Bourbon

The latest release, Twin Oak Custom Barrel, is the result of a six-year project in collaboration with Independent Stave Company of Lebanon, Missouri. The Jefferson’s barrel is made from grooved staves that increase the surface area of the barrel, allowing for more bourbon to come in contact with the oak. In addition, the barrel is toasted for a specific time at a specific temperature before being flash charred. Ten-year-old Kentucky whiskey is then put into the barrel for four months to finish, imparting mocha flavors on top of the other characteristics that normally come from a bourbon barrel.

“We are really excited to collaborate with Independent Stave Company for this innovative new bourbon,” Trey Zoeller, CEO and founder of Jefferson’s Bourbon, said in a statement. “By increasing the surface area of the barrel, we’ve been able to impart so much more of the barrel’s flavor into our whiskey, creating a unique taste unlike many of our previous Jefferson’s products.”

Jefferson's Bourbon Twin Oak Custom Barrel — Jefferson's Bourbon / Jefferson's Bourbon

As anyone who has had Jefferson’s in the past knows, this is not the first time the company has played around the finish. Over the years, Jefferson’s has released not only what might be considered standard bourbons such as the Presidential Select or Reserve selections, but also a bourbon collab with chef Edward Lee and others finished in a variety of ways (Cabernet, Groth cask, et cetera).

Perhaps most famous of the Jefferson releases is Jefferson’s Ocean, which is a bourbon that spends years sailing the high seas, becoming the whiskey equivalent of Captain Jack Sparrow before being bottled and sold (one of the latest Jefferson’s Ocean releases, Voyage 15, was a wheated bourbon — the first in the line).

Jefferson’s Twin Oak Custom Barrel will be available for around $80 in select retailers nationwide.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…

Food & Drink

Angel’s Envy Releases Special New Mizunara Cask Whiskey

Mizunara Cask Whiskey

In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Angel's Envy's Founder's Day on August 19, the distillery released a new bourbon finished in Japanese Mizunara oak casks. This blend of four-year-old and nine-year-old whiskey spent an additional two years in these new charred oak casks, made from 200-year-old trees, during which it picked up a bouquet of floral notes including sandalwood, coffee, and a bit of smoke. "We chose this release for the tenth anniversary because my dad, having taken on several consulting roles in Japan during his career, always had a deep appreciation for the country and its distilling community," said cofounder and chief innovation officer Wes Henderson in a prepared statement. "This release, finished in Mizunara casks made from this rare, 200-year-old wood, felt fitting for such a special milestone for Angel’s Envy.”

This is a first for the distillery, and it really stands out in terms of flavor from its core range that is finished in port and rum barrels. "When we set out on this project, we knew where we wanted to end up, but we also knew we might not wind up there," said Henderson in a recent Zoom meeting. His son and production manager Kyle detailed the difficult and lengthy process of getting ahold of these barrels, which he said are extremely limited and tightly controlled by the Japanese government. It took about five years in total to procure them, and 18 months of that time was spent on a waiting list.

Food & Drink

New Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Release Out in September

makers mark 2020 wood finishing limited release maker s 2

Last year, Maker's Mark released its first nationally available limited release edition of its Wood Finishing series, which joined the ranks of other wood stave-finished bourbons from the distillery like Maker's 46 and Private Selection. The bourbon had the arguably inartful name of Maker's Mark Wood Finishing Series 2019 Limited Release: Stave Profile RC6, based on the name of the staves that were placed in the barrel as part of the whiskey's finishing process. This September, the distillery is releasing the second edition, which rolls a bit easier off the tongue: Maker’s Mark 2020 Limited Release.

Two different staves were used for this year's bottling, the result of about a year's work with Independent Stave Company -- SE4, made from virgin French oak cooked at medium heat to bring out flavors of caramel, and PR5, made from virgin American oak and cooked slow and low to augment the vanilla notes.

Food & Drink

Wild Turkey Releases Two New Limited Edition Whiskeys

Wild Turkey is one of those Kentucky whiskey brands that doesn't really need to expand its core lineup. After all, what it's known for is quality and affordability, two things that sometimes can be hard to find together. In other words, master distillers Eddie and Jimmy Russell can confidently rest on their laurels. But over the past few years expansion is exactly what the distillery has been doing, with the ultra premium Master's Keep series and additions to the Russell's Reserve brand. Now you can look for two more whiskeys with flags flying under the Wild Turkey banner, one from the aforementioned Master's Keep series, the other a new barrel-proof rye whiskey that is part of the Rare Breed lineup.

Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond is the fifth release under this banner of pricey, limited-release whiskeys. It's a 17-year-old bourbon, and the second Wild Turkey release to carry the BIB designation (the first was the 15-year-old American Spirit released over a decade ago, according to the brand). “With our own Master’s Keep Bottled In Bond, we took the historic process and protocol of aging for four years to the next level and allowed the liquid to rest for 17 years,” said Eddie Russell in a prepared statement. “We aged and perfected this rare, 17-year-old bourbon in Wild Turkey’s Camp Nelson rickhouses. This expression is a nod to the past, both our own heritage and the heritage of American whiskey-making as a craft.” Per the BIB rules, the whiskey is bottled at 100 proof, at least four years old, and is the product of one distilling season from one distillery. It's rich and delicious, with a creamy mouthfeel and strong notes of tannin, cherry, chocolate, and prune on the palate. This bourbon was bottled just in time -- it might have gone south after another year or two in the barrel. But as it is, it's a winner. It's not cheap at $175 for a bottle, but for those willing to spend some cash on a high-quality, older-than-usual bourbon, it's certainly worth it.