Today’s bourbon review is a 6-month-old MGP bourbon that’s gone through some form of a proprietary process: Merica Bourbon. They get some Kudos for their sourcing transparency on their site, but they get a big ol thumbs down for not including Distilled In Indiana on the label. C’mon people, it’s 2020, let’s get this together.
I tried to get more info on their “patented technology” which uses “ultrasonic energy and oxygenation” to finish “incomplete chemical reactions from the fermentation stage” but I didn’t get any reply. Multiple emails, no response. So I’m left to ponder about it here.
After fermentation comes distillation and then comes barrel aging. All of these involve complex chemical reactions, so I’m struggling to understand how they’re addressing fermentation issues after distillation and 6 months of barrel aging.
What’s even more beyond me is how pummelling it with Kid Rock riffs while stirring it in an open vat fixes those post-distillation-and-post-barrel-aging fermentation issues. If I ever do hear back from them I’ll update here because at the moment it sounds a bit far fetched.
Merica Bourbon Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Merica Bourbon was born from military veterans who wanted to share the great taste of bourbon and freedom. It’s all about the flavor. This bourbon is meant to be shared with friends, on the rocks or neat, reminiscing on the good moments in life. So pull up a chair and have a glass or three with us and let us celebrate freedom together. #celebratefreedom.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Indiana, USA
Distiller: MGP
Bottler: Famous Brands
Mash Bill: 70% Corn, 26% Rye, 4% Wheat
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 months
ABV: 45%
Price: $30*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Apple juice
NOSE
Orchard fruit, wood, spice, honey, vanilla, raw corn, raw (minerally-spirity).
PALATE
Minerally new make, touch of wood, spice and fruit.
FINISH
Short -> New make and woody spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not balanced, thin light body with a watery feel.
Merica Bourbon Review: Overall and Score
Aroma is basically a fruity new make profile with a touch of wood and spice; Palate is basically the same; Finish follows suit. It smells and tastes exactly like you’d imagine a 6-month-old bourbon from MGP would taste and smell like.
It’s interesting to see what really young MGP is like; to see where so many of the NDP bourbons on market start at compared to where they end up. We know the Merica Bourbon distillate is good given its provenance but it needs more time to integrate with the oak. Though what I’m really interested in is trying the whiskey before and after their proprietary “ultrasonic energy and oxygenation” process to see exactly what, if anything, changes.
SCORE: 1/5
*Disclosure: The bottle for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Merica Bourbon Review $30
Overall
1- Nose (1)
- Palate (1)
- Finish (1)
- BBF (1)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Merica Bourbon Review Summary
It’s exactly what you’d expect a 6-month-old bourbon to taste like: woody new make. There hasn’t been enough time for the spirit and oak to combine and work together. They haven’t integrated and so they sit as two opposing notes without any harmony… yet. It shows promise and could be a decent whiskey in a few years.
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