Next month, September, is National Bourbon Heritage Month, but I thought we’d get a jump on it with a quick run of bourbon reviews, starting with this Still Austin “The Musician” Bourbon. It’s a young bourbon, aged 2+ years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some older stuff mixed in because… it ain’t bad.
It’s great to see young distilleries getting things right. I was fully expecting a barrage of that sawdust-meets-raw-wood-meets-wet-cardboard note that’s so damn prevalent in immature craft whiskeys. The lack of that and the relative quality of this whiskey makes me equally shocked and delighted to talk about this bourbon today.
Still Austin “The Musician” Bourbon – Details and Tasting Notes
“Our new Straight Bourbon, made from 100% Texas-grown corn, rye and malted barley, is the distillation of all we are, and of all that has created us—an expression of true Texas terroir.” – Still Austin
Whiskey Details
Region: Texas, USA
Distiller: Still Austin
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 2 Years
ABV: 49.2%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Price: $45*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Pie crust, caramel, jalapeno cornbread, grain, vanilla taffy, nutmeg, roasted nuts and oak.
PALATE
Pie crust, citrus marmalade, cinnamon, roasted nuts, dried dark fruit, cocoa and some bits of oak, char and banana which grows as it opens.
FINISH
Medium -> Caramel, nuts, spice and chalk.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, full-round body, and a velvety feel that fades dry-chalky.
Still Austin “The Musician” Bourbon – Final Thoughts and Score
Aroma comes through a bit older than a 2 yo, doesn’t have that woody depth of maturity – it’s quite light across the board, but it doesn’t carry that immature-craft-raw-woody-wet-cardboard-saw-dust note; this is enjoyable, but not very complex. Palate pulls in some light oak but remains light and delicate which is strange to say about a bourbon – again missing that well-developed depth of something like an Evan Williams Bonded, but excellent balance and spice. Finish is nice, simple and enjoyable.
They’ve figured out something that other craft distillers are chasing. Just by reading the specs I expected this is to be around a 1/5 like most small distilleries where that signature “craft” note dominates, but here my only issue is the lack of depth… and that will come with time. This is a tremendous start for Still Austin “The Musician” Bourbon. By the time this Pandemic is nothing more than a bad dream, this could be a fierce competitor in the whiskey world.
SCORE: 2.5/5
*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.
Still Austin The Musician Bourbon Review $45
Overall
2.5- Nose (2.5)
- Palate (2.5)
- Finish (2.5)
- BBF (2.5)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Summary
Don’t let its age fool you. While it is light and not very oak-driven, yet, this is not your run-of-the-mill craft abomination. This is a quality bourbon that’s only going to get better with time… and I look forward to it.
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