Review: Off Hours Bourbon
Off Hours is a new bourbon launched just last year, and I’m not even sure where the company is located. It doesn’t entirely matter, I guess: The company’s eponymous product is a four-year old straight bourbon from MGP.
Off Hours is authentically crafted for today’s modern bourbon drinker. It’s made for the moments in between. Crafted with aromas of creamy vanilla, hints of nutmeg and a silky finish of lingering honey, Off Hours bourbon is meant to engage our senses and change perceptions. This is bourbon for creating memories, for celebrating each other, and for building real-life connections. It’s not about preconceived notions of artisanal cocktails and dimly lit bars. It’s for everyone, everywhere.
That’s a long way of saying that Off Hours is designed to be “easy drinking” and not “stiff,” per the company — though it remains puzzling that, if that was the goal, why it would be bottled at 47.5% abv instead of a gentler 40%. Questions for the ages, I suppose. Let’s give it a try.
The nose certainly feels different than other MGP stock, with a curious mix of coconut water, butterscotch, toasted brioche, and chamomile tea all in evidence. It’s an odd collection of aromas, but it feels inviting. The palate is on the thin side, with a bit of green pepper and a grassy composition that evokes earthy kale at times. As it develops in glass, overripe apple notes emerge. The finish is the most traditional part of the experience, featuring caramel and some pastry dough notes, followed by more aggressive notes of creosote and ash.
All told, it’s a pleasant enough experience, but it doesn’t feel particularly more approachable to me than any other reasonably young bourbon.
95 proof.
B / $45 / drinkoffhours.com
Off Hours Bourbon
$45
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