According to the bottle, “Named in Honor of the year Kentucky joined the United States, 1792 Small Batch Bourbon is made from a marriage of a few select barrels chosen by their Master Distiller. This refined bourbon elevates Kentucky distilling to exceptional new heights. Celebrated by whiskey connoisseurs worldwide, the subtleties of 1792 make in incomparably brash and bold, yet smooth and balanced.”
I’ve used this site to address the horrible bourbon selection in the state of New Hampshire. The shelved are bare more often than not. Limited and hard to find bottles, unless you are there at opening you won’t get. Too often a white panel van has the in as to when it will be on the shelf and there 3-4 cases allotted to one store will wind up in that van with New York plates.
What does that have to do with this review? Today I went to the store and other then your staples like Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Evan Willams the shelves were bare. So grabbed this bottle of 1792 Small Batch which I usually avoid like the plague. Why? Because when the shelves are empty this always remains. So let’s take a look and see if that is for a reason.
Bourbon Review: 1792 Small Batch
ABV: 46.85% (93.7 Proof)
Age: NAS
Color: Amber
Mash Bill: Not Disclosed (High Rye)
Distillery: 1792 Distillery
Location: Bardstown, KY (USA)
The Nose: A high rye aroma is dominant before taking the first waft off the glass. Outside of the rye, the nose isn’t well developed. There are trades of oak, caramel and vanilla but none of them really stand out. The pull from the glass makes the pour seem to be higher than the advertised ABV.
The Taste: The high rye mashbill is evident on the first sip with rye spice being overly dominant. As the rye dissipates there is a nice sweetness that develops consisting of black cherries, vanilla and brown sugar. The finish is moderately long with some spice, oak and a touch of clove.
The Pairing: I ran into Oliver Nivaud from United Cigars a couple of days ago and he gifted me with an Alfonso Gran Selection which was just unveiled at the cigar industry trade show. It’s the follow up to a cigar I consider the best on the market. So Obviously I couldn’t wait to smoke it even though it won’t be out until the end of Q3 in 2023. The cigar features an Ecuador Habano wrapper over a Peruvian binder with fillers from the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. The cigar starts off floral in nature before being joined by hints of plum.
The pairing helps bring out more oak from the bourbon which sees more vanilla and the addition of anise with a touch of cinnamon. As always our pairing doesn’t affect our final score but if it did we would add 3 points for the positive changes.
The Conclusion: The 1792 Small Batch is pedestrian at best. It won’t wow you, but it definitely won’t offend you either. It’s something I wouldn’t feel ashamed bringing as a gift to a barbecue or when watching the game with friends. However, there are a lot of other options I rather reach for. It’s priced fairly, and visually it makes a nice gift. I probably won’t replace this bottle when I finish it.
Score: 82
Price: $28.99 (750ml)
