The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Randall H. Borkus
Rating A-
Taconic Double Barrel Bourbon with Maple Syrup
(Credit: Taconic Distillery)
“Taconic,” (/təˈkɒnᵻk/) was once transliterated as the Taghkanic or Taughannock, meaning “in the trees,” and used as the name of a Lenape chieftain. Taghkanic is still used in eastern New York, as in the name of a small town in the region, for features within and outside the Taconic Mountains.
The founders of Taconic Distillery, Gerald Valenti and Paul “PJ” Coughlin, are fervent outdoorsmen and Dutchess County residents who imagined marrying their life passions for the great outdoors and whiskey which led to the Taconic Distillery. The Coughlin family purchased part of Laufred Farms in Stanfordville, NY, a former beef farm, and renamed it Rolling Hills Farm in 2010. The farm’s 113 acres of rolling hills became the inspiration for Taconic Distillery’s entrance to Dutchess County’s local agribusiness market.
The Distillery’s tasting room is located in the heart of Dutchess County and is open Saturdays from noon to 6 pm and Sundays from noon to 5 pm. I’m a big fan of Taconic Whiskeys as well as their other sundry offerings.
Taconic’s Double Barrel Bourbon Maple Whiskey, comes from filling used bourbon barrels with maple syrup, aging the syrup then emptying the barrels, then bottling the syrup and refilling those same maple syrup laced barrels with fine bourbon whiskey. After a few months in the barrels, soaking up the maple sweetness, Taconic has a new batch of Double Barrel Bourbon Maple Whiskey. This year’s batch #5 is quite different than the previous batches, as it is bottled at a mature 115 proof.
The bottle logo features their traditional American foxhound. Hunting imagery often appears on American whiskey, and it turns out this is the perfect symbol for a bottle of bourbon for other reasons too. During the imprudent times of Prohibition, the American foxhound and its prominent howl were fundamental in the making of moonshine. Bootleggers used hounds as lookouts trained to howl when strangers approached. This gave bootleggers time to run off before getting caught.
The Bourbon
This bourbon is a dark rich amber honey color that stubbornly clings to my glass. The whiskey fragrance danced up my nostrils leaving hints of oak and a beautiful maple aroma.
On my palate, the flavor reminds me of an infused maple cookie swirled with an earthy sweetness combined with a distinct sweet buttery core all of which balances nicely against the old oak overtones on my back palate. The finish is inviting and warm with a long and buttery softness with hints of old oak dryness.
I am impressed with this 115 proof version of the Double Barreled Bourbon Maple Whiskey.As much as I enjoyed the previous version at a lower proof, this outperforms it by far. This is a distinctive bourbon whiskey experience chock full of complex flavors and a mature proof. Do not let the Maple scare you away; this is a delightfully complex spirit at just the right proof to sip neat!
The Price
Pricing is $69 – $79 a bottle when you can find it.
