McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey is a product of Finger Lakes Distilling and uses a mash bill of corn, rye and barley with the corn and rye being sourced from local farms. They age it for a total of 20ish months and it starts that process in new charred (10 gallon) oak barrels as required by law to call the liquid a bourbon. After at least 18 months of aging in the new oak barrels they move the whiskey over to large ex-Chardonnay casks where they let the bourbon mellow and marry for an additional 4 – 6 weeks. Basically it’s a wine finished bourbon.
Their aging process is reminiscent of the Jimmy’s Texas Bourbon I reviewed a while ago and like Jimmy’s it seems like the use of the wine barrel finishing has helped temper some of the course raw grain notes that can come from bourbon that young and the sawdust / cardboard notes that can sometimes come from using small barrels. This process of wine barrel finishing also adds some fruity notes that work well with young bourbon spirit and adds a dimension it might not otherwise have had.
McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey Info
Region: New York, USA
Distiller: Finger Lakes Distilling
Mashbill: 70% corn, 20% rye, 10% malted barley
Cask: New charred oak + ex-Chardonnay
Age: 18 months (1.5 years)
ABV: 45,5%
Price: $45
McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey Review
EYE
Chestnut
NOSE
Rich dark sweets (caramel heavy), vanilla, orchard and dark fruit, a bit of raw grain and some saw dust. There’s also an aroma that 1/2 reminds me of tobacco and 1/2 reminds me of leather, but never settles on either and gets kicked around by a mild spice. Has a good amount going on.
PALATE
The dark sweets (toffee, caramel, brittle etc.) start things off again and are quickly followed by vanilla, dried orchard and dark fruit, a more pronounced spice, saw dust and that same earthy tobacco leather thing from the nose. It’s like a piece of leather had some tobacco rubbed into it and was then dropped on an earthen floor. Not solidly any of those, but an amalgamation of aspects of each.
FINISH
Medium fade of dark sweets, dried fruit, imitation vanilla, saw dust and that tobathearth note.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Carries a decent balance on a medium body and a warm smooth texture.
OVERALL
I knew nothing about McKenzie Bourbon Whiskey before ordering it a bar in NYC, but after a sniff and a sip and I had my phone out and I was taking notes. I immediately found that it had a nice balance between the earthier darker notes and the lighter sweeter notes and ended up enjoying what was happening in my glass. It wasn’t until later – sitting down to write this review – I discovered it’s only aged for 20ish months and some of that is spent finishing in ex-Chardonnay casks (not sure if it’s stated on the back label or not). It has a maturity that surpasses it’s young age and I wish it was available here in Los Angeles so I could compare it side-by-side with some other young bourbons. Well done Finger Lakes Distillery… well done.
SCORE: 83-86/100 (Range due to not tasting at home)
