Bourbon from Chicago – what would Jim Beam have made of this northern American offering of a whisky style most closely associated with Kentucky? There would have been a respectful tip of the old cowboy hat, I suspect, because this is a fine drink. It's no less authentic, either. Illinois happens to lie just north across the border from the Bluegrass State. But in any case bourbon, the corn-dominated whisky matured in charred new-oak barrels, can legally be produced anywhere in the United States. With the craft-distilling boom, more indeed has come from outside its stronghold of Kentucky.
This one boasts what might instantly betray it as very modern. It's certified organic. That's worth something to certain drinkers nowadays, one would assume. But there's much else to recommend it. Rarity, for one. The sample I tasted is the product of a single barrel (No. 2Q4X0Z), released in limited supply to Ontario stores. It also displays an intriguingly gentler, less-robust or less-charred quality than more widely available premium bourbons on the market, such as Woodford Reserve. Bottled at 47-per-cent alcohol, unfiltered and made mainly with corn (but also, interestingly, with millet versus gluten-heavy wheat or rye), it's succulent, with a peachy-apricot and caramel lusciousness, a note of pepper and a relatively elegant, smooth character. Available in Ontario.