Distillery: Barton 1792
Proof: 98.6
Age: NAS
Mashbill: Undisclosed
BACKGROUND: In December 2020, Barton 1792 distillery announced the new limited release of the Thomas S Moore cask finished series that would hit the shelves early 2021. The Thomas S. Moore series is a nod to Barton 1792's founder, Mr. Thomas S. Moore who built the distillery in 1889. The Thomas S. Moore cask finished series includes a port finished bourbon, cabernet finished bourbon, and most uniquely, a chardonnay finished bourbon. According to the press release, Barton 1792 plans to continue to release the Thomas S. Moore Series in the future. Port wine is a sweet dessert red wine and is a common cask to finish whiskey in. Angel's Envy, Isaac Bowman, Woodinville, Breckenridge, Three Chord and many other distilleries have finished their whiskey in port casks. Barton 1792 did not release a lot of information about what whiskey they finished in port casks but it is most likely their standard 1792 Small Batch.
NOSE: Dark fruits dominate this nose with scents of plum, raspberry, grape, and black cherry along with some standard caramel and oak notes. The port wine notes shine through on this one making this a very sweet notes with a fruit juice likeness. Barton 1792 did not state for how long they finished this bourbon in port casks but either way those fruit port wine notes really dominate to make this a very fruity and sweet nose. (22/25)
PALATE: Like the nose, the palate is dominated by sweet fruit notes. Immediately noticeable are flavors of plum and cherry that enhance the vanilla flavors. There is a richness and chewiness to this one but towards the back of the sip the whiskey shows some flaws with a sharp bitterness and slight dryness. (32/40)
FINISH: The fruit flavors continue in the finish along with some warm baking spice and oak barrel char. The finish is medium in length with a slight dryness and more sharp bitterness. (21/25)
VALUE: With a $70 SRP Thomas S Moore carries a slightly higher price tag than some of its competitors and the regular 1792 bourbon but that is to be expected when factoring the cost of the port wine casks. (7/10)
Overall: 82/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Thomas S Moore Port is a tasty and flavorful finished bourbon whiskey adding another dimension and market for Barton 1792 to pursue. The fruit flavors and port wine flavors really dominate this one so if you are a fan of wine finished whiskey, wine, or sweet whiskey, then this one is right up your alley. As a brand new 2021 release, we feel this one has some flaws but with some more time in the barrel and at a slightly higher proof this one could really shine and compete with some of the best port finished whiskeys.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Jefferson's Reserve Pritchard Hill
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Angel's Envy Bourbon
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Three Chord Strange Collaboration
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
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