This week’s review Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Aged 6 Years is the source of another rant. Yes, I went to the state mafia control liquor store and was disappointed with that bourbon was on the shelf. A lot of New Hampshire made bourbon that for the most part is crap. A lot of MGP Bourbons that are more of a disappointment than a win. Colorado, Missouri, Wyoming bourbons but very little Kentucky Bourbon. Today I settled on Tennessee.
Yesterday that state had the 3rd ghost drop of the year where they pick 8 stores to drop pallets of EH Taylor, Blanton’s, Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, Stagg Jr and more. How the bourbon companies are happy with the state hoarding bourbon and dropping it so those with jobs can’t get them and often not limiting it so stores from across the northeast can stock up. It’s become a joke.
So this week we opted for Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon which we haven’t seen on the shelf in quite sometime. According to the bottle, “During America’s rough & tumble early days, your finest attire was referred to as a bib & tucker. Bib & Tucker bourbon is artfully crafted and patiently aged for 6 years in Tennessee.”
Bourbon Review: Bib & Tucker Small Batch
Batch: 28 Bottle: 44180
ABV: 46.0 (92 Proof)
Age: 6 Years
Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 26% Rye, 4% Malted Barley
Distillery: Sourced (Rumor: Dickel)
Location: Somewhere in Tennessee
Bottled By: Bib & Tucker
Location: Columbia, TN
The Nose: Rye heavy is the first thing that comes to mind on the Bib & Tucker. After letting the glass sit for a bit there are notes of corn, oak and a faint cocoa that is almost washed out by some ethanol.
The Taste: The front end of the Bib & Tucker was much smoother than I expected with notes of licorice, earth and pecans. On the back end of the initial sip there are hearty notes of oak, earth and rye spice with a slightly metallic copper finish. Subsequent sips see licorice, caramel drizzle, cocoa and a subtle honey with the pecans on the finish with a lingering rye spice.
Conclusion: If there was ever a bottle that needed a redesign it is Bib & Tucker The bottle feels like it belongs at a 18th century carnival with a medicine man pitching some miracle cure right down to its cork topper. But, you can’t drink the bottle and on the bar it sits out like a sore thumb.
The bourbon has a nice complexity to it and thankfully the copper finish only was visible on the first sip. It also has me torn. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t exactly love it either. It’s different and that’s what makes it enjoyable but only in small doses, just like the in-laws.
Score: 88
Price: $49.99 (750ml in New Hampshire)
