Hannah’s Hudson Baby Bourbon Review
Original review written on October 12, 2019
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Was very intrigued by a 100% corn bourbon, but I’m afraid without any rye, I’m a little let down. Not bad, but certainly not great. Very disappointed. Read my Hudson Baby Bourbon Review here! 61/100
VITALS:
– Made in: Gardiner, New York, USA
– Distiller: Tuthilltown Spirits
– Classification: Pot-distilled Bourbon
– Age: 3 months
– Mash Bill: Corn=100%
– Casks: 3 gallon new-charred oak with an unknown char
– Barrel Entry Proof: Undisclosed
– ABV: 46% (92 proof)
– Distillation Year: 2016
– Batch #: 11
– Bottle #: 3911
– Price: $49.95 USD in Idaho
Visit tuthilltown.com for more information
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this bourbon here!
SETTING:
I don’t want to be stingy and not give a bourbon I don’t enjoy a setting. For this drink, find yourself a busy harbor and drape your feet over the ledge of the dock to touch the ocean. Enjoy an icy, late-autumn ocean breeze run through your hair with the sounds of dozens of ships making port around you.
Photo by Jerome Monta on Unsplash
NOSE:
The first inhale brings in the smell of acetone with background notes of both molten caramel and interestingly enough, white pepper. I feel as though I can sense the corn husks as well, though my nose could be deceiving me based on what I know of the mash bill.
The longer it sits, another aroma kicks in. (For a while, I could not tell if I enjoyed it or not.) With further nosing, this aroma becomes a bit more displeasing, almost like old Play-Doh or an odd/old hazelnut.
Though it is a young spirit, I can detect old must as well, which surprises me, along with a darker and more sinister molasses.
Very little in the way of wood seems apparent.
PALATE:
– Mouth feel: Silken with only a twinge of roughness.
– Balance: Unbalanced; this is not sweet enough to just be sweet, so what little spice is present just isn’t enough.
– Visual: Auburn in color with clinging droplets and many short-lived toothpick legs.
– Taste: Very quickly (as in the first sip), I am acutely aware that corn is the only grain in this bourbon, given a lack of biting rye present. The longer I wait between sips, a strange, almost grapefruit-like quality comes through. The Play-Doh/hazelnuts (whatever floats your boat) are carried in from the nose, and they are most evident with a Kentucky chew.
Simple sugar flavors are present as well, but there seems to be an underwhelming lack of other flavors. It isn’t necessarily unpleasant, but I do like a bourbon that has a lot of tricks in the hat. This does not. But I imagine I could one day be in the mood for this. That mood may not be frequent enough to have a bottle of this on hand, but there you go.
I can tell it wants to be more than it is, and I feel as though if this aptly named “baby” proudly stood with its short list of flavors, I would enjoy this SO much more.
FINISH:
– Lasting power: Long, but only in the sense of an aftertaste. Not in the traditional warm bourbon sense, mind you. This aftertaste is certainly the most complex aspect of this bourbon, and it may not be for everyone. Slightly coppery, and for me, a bit citrusy. Again, I’ve had better.
– No More: More notes of almost a gasoline taste came through at the end and with the aftertaste taking on an almost salty spice. To be honest, I’m proud I managed to finish.
The empty Glencairn smells just as salty and still without a trace of wood in sight.
WORTH THE PRICE?
Unless you’re collecting the rare/obscure ones, definitely not.
RATING: 61/100
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