Fairlawn Bourbon was distilled in 1916 and bottled around 1929 (Tax strip is too damaged to get an exact). That’s just 1 year short of being distilled 100 years ago and for a bourbon that’s been in a bottle for nearly ninety years it’s incredibly lively. Bottled-In-bond, this medicinal pint of bourbon hails from a closed distillery in Peoria, Illinois which had a slew of distilleries before prohibition stepped in to ruin the party. It’s both funny and tragic to think about that time in American history. Funny to think that it was ever actually a thing and tragic to think about everything we’ve lost because of it.
Fairlawn Bonded Bourbon Info
Region: Illinois, USA
Distiller: Corning Distilling Co. #22 1st district IL (1916)
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 7 years (?)
ABV: 50%
Distilled: 1916
Bottled: 1929 (?)
Price: NA – Medicinal Pint
Fairlawn Bonded Bourbon Review
EYE
Leather
NOSE
Nice full aroma of burnt sugar, spice, caramel, oak and charred fruit start us off on the right foot but as it opens up a note of lawn fertilizer creeps in, but brings along some nicer notes of vanilla, nuts and tree sap. Not a specific tree, but the aroma of a forest in the summer when sap is seeping from cracked bark.
PALATE
Burnt sugar and a dollop of clove come out accompanied by notes of cinnamon and allspice in a palate coating spice bomb. A touch of caramel, wood, vanilla and dried cherries come through in the background.
FINISH
Long and spice driven with a bit of oak. The spice reminds of drinking wassail in the winter.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
The spice hangs heavy and knocks it a bit off balance but is accompanied by a rich full body and warm heavy feel.
OVERALL
Holy spice bomb Batman! This bottle of Fairlawn Bonded Bourbon has the most complex spice action happening and while it’s interesting, aromatic and tasty it also pushes it off balance, but that’s my only real complaint about this. If the spice was a bit lighter it would be an easy B+ knocking on the door of an A- with how full and deep it is. I was hoping some air would even it out, but as it opened up the spice got more prevalent. Though what do you expect? It was distilled almost 100 years ago, it’s earned the right to be as spicy as it likes!
SCORE: 83-86/100 (consumed at a tasting, not at home)
