The spirit of J.W.Kelly’s original bourbon, originating in Chattanooga TN and dating back to 1866, is achieved by marrying 5, 6, and 8-year-old aged barrels of bourbon, hand selected by JWK. This Old Milford Straight Bourbon Whiskey is handcrafted in 3,000-gallon pot stills.
Appearance: Brown butter/caramel. Many medium legs quickly form and seep down the glass. A decent swirl mark with large droplets and some beading.
Nose: Lovely and sweet. Full of not only brown sugar but icing sugar too. Cherry, oak and caramel are all also present. A good ABV balance is also struck, there’s plenty of it, but it doesn’t inhibit the aromas at all.
Some barrel char, cherry-encrusted chocolate and fresh coconut also swim about on the nose, adding more to explore.
This is a truly lovely bourbon nose, very nice!
Palate: Not a hugely viscous mouthfeel. Pretty of black pepper, caramel and that sweet confectionary note. Burnt cherries, blood orange and a mineral element too.
Some liquorice sites at the back of the mouth, like an underlayer to the other flavours. A more savoury cereal and sunburnt brown grass note emerged as the glass matures.
Finish: The pepper, blood orange bitterness and slight sweetness last for a short while. There’s a nice chest warming too.
Overall: Really pleasantly surprised by this one. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the nose (which is awesome), but it’s still a cracking whiskey.
