Review: Chicken Cock Double Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old
Review: Chicken Cock Double Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old
The most unlikely name to be revived in the spirits business continues its march upmarket: Chicken Cock, which dropped an outstanding 8 year old single barrel bourbon last December, ups the ante with this, a 10 year old monster with a twist.
Made from the same MGP-sourced stock as the 8 year old (from a mash of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley), it’s being bottled in six batches of 12 barrels in total, each batch a combination of two of those barrels. So, it’s not a single barrel bourbon but a double barrel one. Got it?
Sounds like a winning plan, but tucking into Chicken Cock at 10 years of age reveals a much different whiskey than the masterful 8 year old.
The nose is instantly woody, heavy with notes of lumberyard, though tempered through hefty clove notes, vanilla, and eucalyptus. It’s quite astringent, its cask strength heat biting from the start. The palate is dry and a bit tough, though again notes of orange peel, chai tea, and dried berries give it a bit of a lift. On the finish, it’s wood all the way — some sweetness filtered through ample notes of sawdust that just reinforce that this whiskey has probably spent a bit too much time in the barrel. Water added was unfortunately of little help here, serving mainly to dilute everything and temper all the flavors in the spirit, rather than quieting down only the oak.
Night and day vs. the 8 year old.
104 proof. Reviewed: Batch #2/6. 1980 bottles produced.
B / $250 / chickencockwhiskey.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]
Chicken Cock Double Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old
$250
