Have you ever heard of Tyler Boone? Neither had I, but he’s a singer-songwriter of roots/Americana music and, more importantly for our purposes, he’s the founder of a company called Boone’s Bourbon. Now, it would be fair to ask what kind of credentials he brings to the distilling business, and it seems like the answer is “not much.” But that really doesn’t matter, because he isn’t responsible for distilling the stuff. He has that done by a place called Striped Pig Distillery in Charleston, SC. And that’s fine. But it does make one wonder what’s the difference between Boone’s Bourbon and Striped Pig Bourbon. With any luck, we’ll sample some Striped Pig before Advent is over.
There’s a couple of other points to note about Boone’s Bourbon. First, it’s quite strong (117 proof). Most of the other boubons we’ve tasted clock in between 80 and 86 proof. Second, it’s only aged for about 6 months. (They don’t highlight this fact; instead, they say it is “aged to perfection.”) The combination of high alcohol and short aging doesn’t strike me as promising. But there’s only one way to find out…
Appearance: It seems light for a bourbon. It’s a pale yellow, like an uncarbonated Corona beer.
Aroma: There’s not much nose on this at all. I detect a slight whiff of a spent match, backed by a hint of Windex.
Taste: Whoa. That’s definitely high-alcohol. And the alcohol is actually a bit overpowering. But there is some oak on the palate, despite the short time in the barrel. There’s also some toffee and grape seed. But I’d be lying if I didn’t emphasize that the predominant taste is the high-VOC blast of alcohol.
Finish: There’s a lingering burn on the front of the tongue. There’s also a darkening at the edges of your field of vision, but I’m hoping that’s a temporary side effect.
Bottom Line: If you want to get wasted, this is the bourbon for you. But if you are looking for any something that’s actually pleasant to sip, I’d point you towards bourbons that have been aged for at least a few years.
Chasing Phantoms 