Review: James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Bourbon
Review: James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Bourbon
With James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Gatlinburg, Tennessee-based Ole Smoky Distillery takes another step away from its moonshine roots, with a real Tennessee whiskey — or Tennessee bourbon, as they call it — now on the market.
The whiskey is sourced stock from unstated parts — though it has to be in Tennessee — and it goes through the Lincoln County Process, passing through sugar maple charcoal before aging. There’s no age statement and no mashbill info (as that would give away the producer). Anyway, we got a sample, so here are some thoughts.
Nothing challenging on the nose here. There’s barrel char, and lots of it, though it offers more of a toasted wood character than a heavy smoke or soot note. Hints of cinnamon and some maple obscure what elements of fruit are present, but those feel well-buried underneath everything else. The palate doesn’t surprise overly. It’s quite savory with toasted oak prominent, backed up with cloves but more of a fruit element in the mix. Gentle apple, touched with coconut and sesame oil, lingers into the finish, though it’s on the short side. All told, it’s completely harmless but agreeable, and probably best as a mixer.
For $38, you can do a lot better than this. But you can also do a whole lot worse.
94 proof.
B+ / $38 / olesmoky.com [BUY IT NOW FROM TOTAL WINE]
James Ownby Reserve Tennessee Bourbon
$38
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