The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
A. Smith Bowman Distillery announces the last release in its Abraham Bowman line for 2013, the Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Port Finished Bourbon.
This bourbon is 12 years old, and the barrels used to age it have had a long journey. In October of 2011 four used bourbon barrels that had held Bowman Brothers Bourbon since 2007 were given to a local Fredericksburg winery. The winery in turn aged their port wine inside these barrels for 15 months. The barrels were then returned to A. Smith Bowman in April 2013 and subsequently filled with bourbon that had been made in March 2001. The bourbon was finished inside the port barrels for an additional four months. In August of 2013, the A. Smith Bowman team tasted the bourbon and felt it was ready to bottle.
“The Port Finished Bourbon has aromas of dark cherry and dried stone finish with brown spice, vanilla, and caramel. It has a great palate weight and body, with a silky smooth mouth feel, said Brian Prewitt, master distiller, A. Smith Bowman Distillery. “The flavors of grain and spice pleasantly linger on the palate in the finish.”
Unlike the previous Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon that was released in the fall of 2012, this year’s release has been aged four more years (12 years and four months total) but spent less time in the used port barrels – four months this time, and eight months last year. A different winery was used as well for the barrel exchange.
The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Whiskey Port Finished Bourbon is part of a series of limited edition whiskeys. Each edition is a different expression that is released a few times a year. “The Abraham Bowman brand is a fun line to experiment with, and I’m looking forward to coming up with more creations in the future,” added Prewitt. The Abraham Bowman Port Finished Bourbon will be available starting in late November. It is a very limited supply. Suggested retail pricing is $69.99 and Alcohol by Volume is 50% (100 proof.)
