Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint Review

By Josh Peters @TheWhiskeyJug

There’s not a whole lot about the Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint online. However, there is a decent amount about the American Medicinal Spirits Co. online and here’s a brief overview of who they were and what they did.

Because warehouses were so remote, and thus easy to break into, the government decided that all whiskey be consolidated into warehouses in major cities. That’s when the American Medicinal Spirits Company formed. They consolidate, bottle and distribute that whiskey; whiskey like the Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint.

Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint Info

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: American Medicinal Spirits Co.
Mashbill: At least 51% corn
Cask: New-Charred Oak
Age: 15 Years (1917 – 1932)
ABV: 50%

Price: NA – Auction, private seller or specialty store

Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint Review

EYE
Caramel

NOSE
Floral perfume with some bits of caramel and toffee. Smells like a run-down retirement home.

PALATE
Dark sweet perfume. Bleh.

FINISH
Short perfumy foulness.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
One-noted, medium body and a hot feel.

OVERALL
Awful, just awful. The Special Old Reserve Medicinal Pint smells and drinks like sandalwood perfume. Maybe it tasted and smelled different back then; maybe it didn’t. Maybe this is a bad bottle; maybe it’s not. All I know is that if this was all I had access to during prohibition I would have given up drinking and the only reason it didn’t get an F is because of how much I do like the smell of Sandalwood… just not at this level in my whiskey.

SCORE: 60-62/100 (D-, not consumed at home)