Booze Review - Jefferson Reserve 15yr

Over my two-week hiatus from my job surfing the internet, I had the wondrous duty to sample what I now believe fills in the missing gap of bourbons. Indeed, this homo habilis of delicious bourbon fits into a nice price gap that I had a great deal sorting out. Let me reference this list here to help elucidate my problem.

List of Tasty Bourbons to Have Neat, best value for your dollar:

Best $10.00 - $15.00 Bourbon : W.L. Weller

Best $15.00 - $20.00 Bourbon : Sam Houston 10 yr.

Best $20.00 - $27.00 Bourbon : Eagle Rare 10 yr.

Best $27.00 - $40.00 Bourbon : Basil Hayden 8 yr.

Best $40.00 - $60.00 Bourbon : Who the hell knows?

Best >$60.00 Bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr.


So as you can see, the market is filled with a surfeit of bourbons at the lower and upper end of the spectrum which fit the bill nicely. However, there is nothing to fill the taste gap between the simple yet satisfying modestly priced bourbons and the upper end of the spectrum. That is, unless you count such rotgut as Bakers, Bookers, or that ridiculously overpriced Blantons.

Problem solved by the wondrous sweet complexity that is Jefferson Reserve. JR comes from the same distillery that makes Sam Houston, McClaine (not from Die Hard) and Kyne. Son Trey and dad Chet (whoa...) are part of a growing trend among bourbon distillers to start selling "ultra small batch" bourbons, something that I am sure is pure and utter BS. Regardless, their bourbons are unbelievably fantastic, so I could care less how they choose to make or market it.

Anyway, JR 15 year sells for about $55.00 at your local ABC store, maybe less across the Key Bridge. JR has a distinct nose that immediately fills you with a buttery scent with the hint of some fruitiness, which is an outright lie because the instant this drink hits your palate you are inundated with a luscious caramel atom bomb that makes you feel like you are drinking 90 proof Aunt Jemima. JR's sweet overtones immediately mellow out to the traditional oaky/toffee bourbon finish of the high end bourbons like Pappy Van Winkle, and it leaves a most excellent warm feeling as its golden brown goodness glides down to your liver.