We’re kicking off a series of young whiskey reviews with this, the Trader Joe’s Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey. Aged for a scant 6 months and sourced from somewhere in TN, this bourbon isn’t likely to be from the usual source: George Dickel. Being a young whiskey it could be from any number of distilleries that opened down there in the last 2+ years, though they’d need to be capable of the scale needed to supply this which to my mind points to one distiller in particular.
If I were to make a bet on who it is, I’d guess the Tennessee Distilling Group. They’re kind of like the MGP of TN; essentially a distillery-for-hire, cranking out whiskey for NDPs including some big names like Uncle Nearest.
Recently I’ve been hearing rumors of the in-market Dickel stocks starting to wane and if that’s true then the next few years of undisclosed TN whiskey could end up coming from TDG who is making a slow-but-steady impact on the market already.
Trader Joe’s Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Every drop of this whiskey goes through the time-honored Lincoln County Process: filtered through sugar maple charcoal, before being stored in charred white oak barrels. Each batch is a tribute to the hills, the wood and the water of Tennessee. So let’s all raise a collective toast to decades of tradition; as we share a sip of liquid history together. Cheers!”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Tennessee
Distiller: Undisclosed
Bottler: Trader Joes
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Rye + Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 6 months
ABV: 40%
Price: $15
Tasting Notes
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Corn syrup, new make, butterscotch, nougut, wood and almond flour.
PALATE
Raw corn, alcohol, butterscotch, wood and marzipan.
FINISH
Short -> Raw corn and marzipan.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not balanced – super raw, thin light body and a watery feel.
Trader Joe’s Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey Review: Overall and Score
It’s not gross, it’s just young, raw and spirity. Aroma is muted, light and spirity and a tad woody – it’s not well integrated and comes through quite raw; Palate, like the aroma. is just light, raw and reminds me quite a bit of the California Clear White Whiskey; Finish is done in a flash leaving mere traces of raw corn.
The 6 months it spent in oak gave the Trader Joe’s Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey some color, but that’s about it. It Tastes and smells like new make and it doesn’t really remind me of George Dickel’s new make or overall profile. My guess is it came from the Tennessee Distilling Group, but whoever did make it I hope they continue to make it for TJ and just let it age, because it could become something amazing down the road.
SCORE: 1/5
Trader Joe's Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey Review $15
Overall
1- Nose (1)
- Palate (1.25)
- Finish (1)
- BBF (0.75)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Trader Joe's Tennessee Bourbon Whiskey Review Summary
It’s young, raw, spirity and not well integrated, but it’s only 6 months old… which is kinda neat. It’s not something I’d pick up again, but it’s a great start that shows a ton of promise and I hope we see another release down the road as it ages.
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