Hannah’s Blade and Bow Bourbon Review
Original review written June 14, 2022
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This is a solid bourbon and a fun one to have in the collection for someone without regular access to it. It’s oaky with a fruity balance, if not perhaps slightly overpriced. Still enjoyable, and I’ll lament finishing it. 87/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: DSP-KY-16; Stitzel-Weller Distilling Company (reopened 2014) and other distilleries
– Classification: Special Finish/Infusion – Solera Aged Bourbon*
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: unpublished
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 45.5% (91 proof)
– Price: $59.99 USD in California 2022
– Key #4
*Solera, or Solera Aging is fractional aging and blending method. A young wine or spirit joined with older stock, often employing tiered barrel storage, allowing the liquids in each level to mingle, marry and age together. As new product ages, some is transferred from top aging barrels to middle tiers for more aging. None of the barrels are ever completely emptied so younger stock is always in contact with older.
Other than Hillrock Estate Distillery, not many whiskey producers employ a Solera Aging System.
THE KEYS
Named after the two parts of a skeleton key, the blade shaft and the ornate bow, the Blade and Bow brand is a tribute to the five keys that once hung on the door of the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. These keys represented the five steps of crafting bourbon – grains, yeast, fermentation, distillation, and aging.
Visit bladeandbowwhiskey.com for more information
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian. I also enjoyed it with my younger sister, Elora.
– Blade and Bow
Check out Brian’s review for this bourbon here!
SETTING:
Imagine rows and rows of jam and bourbon warmth to accompany the sweet of fruit and color. Blade and Bow is enough to cut through the sweet while enhancing the fruit all the more. The jam would, in turn, exacerbate the warmth of this pour and make it more prominent and exciting.
Photo by Paréj Richárd on Unsplash
NOSE:
This bourbon smells of dark fruit leather, molasses and soft wheat grain on the first inhale. It’s subtle, and the bourbon certainly isn’t looking to bite with any kind of alcohol heat. There are cherries that seem overly ripe – perhaps sacrificed for some baking adventure. With them is a light stone fruit jam, but they are not tart like peaches are. While old oak spice dominates, I can find a hint of nutmeg. Beyond that however, it is difficult to sense any prominent spice. Baking sweetness exists on this nose, but I cannot determine which ones (brown sugar?) are there with any kind of certainty. It’s a well-balanced aroma, if not slightly plain. The fruits existing as the lead off of this still makes me intrigued, and I am ready for my first sip.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: This is relatively smooth, but there is some tangible grip on the palate that lets the flavors really sink in.
– Balance: While simple, the balance is well-executed, and the oak isn’t left entirely to its own devices.
– Visual: Tawny in color, this falls in evenly spaced legs from a fairly well-defined crown. The legs disappear quickly; however, the crown does remain.
– Taste: Old oak, as though it’s falling apart, sweeps across the palate first, offering up bits and pieces of that Solera Aging method. I can taste all of the years and months this bourbon sat mingling with others of its kind. The plentiful fruit that is here is extremely dry, like prunes and raisins. Despite the dryness, there is a surprisingly high amount of baking spice to accompany the fruit with a strong nutmeg and overall warmth.
The palate isn’t overwhelmingly complex, but it’s deep oak and has fruity richness, and I can definitely see myself reaching for this bourbon soon. It’s a shame it isn’t found in our Idaho liquor stores; it would make a good addition.
The Kentucky chew doesn’t particularly make the alcohol more aggressive, but it does bring out the lighter dried fruits that were found on the nose. Along with those is some soft grain that tempers any attempt at heat growing.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Short-medium. There’s some aftertaste, but the warmth doesn’t linger excessively long (though it is certainly there).
– Between Sips: Oak, oak, oak, and more oak. It’s virtually all I can taste, and it’s old and it’s textured. While I don’t love intense wood essences, this time, it is welcome, and it matches the palate well.
– No More: This does grow on me the longer I sip, and I am already finding that I’ll lament this bottle when it is empty. It’s solid easy sipping, and its warmth only grows.
The empty Glencairn is pure bourbon oak. Rich, deep, and with a hint of spice. This is how an empty bourbon glass should smell.
WORTH THE PRICE?
While I enjoy this bourbon, $60 does seem slightly steep for the simplicity that you are getting out of the bottle. There are certainly other bourbons in this price range that I would rather spend this money for; however, for an experimental buy for a whiskey we’d never tried, I won’t regret it. For the first time experience and the solidity of the offering, this bottle was worth $60. The next bottle unfortunately, may not be.
BLADE AND BOW BOURBON REVIEW RATING: 87/100
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