Jackson Purchase Batch 1
Craig Beam’s Western Kentucky Sleeper Hit
So hopefully by now you’ve watched the most recent episode where I talked a little bit about Kentucky Bourbon Festival. One of the things I mentioned in there specifically was about Craig Beam and what Craig Beam is doing at Jackson Purchase Distillery.
I’m a little biased towards Jackson Purchase, mainly because it’s on the western end of the state. They’ve been producing whiskey for quite some time, and they sneakily — somewhat sneakily — released a bottle around festival time. I’ve subsequently been able to find that bottle, and I’m super excited to talk about it.
The Bottle
Jackson Purchase Batch 1, Full Proof, Four Year Whiskey at 117.8 proof.
When you’ve got a name like Beam, you’ve got to make some good whiskey, obviously. And it’s at a reasonable price point, I think, for a first launch of a brand. But let’s talk about it, right?
The Process
We drank this three different times, three different days on three different sets of glassware with an intent to try to remove any bias that I might have based off of what happened throughout the course of that day.
Tasting Notes
First Pass:
Nose: A lot of caramel and barrel spice.
Palate: Like cranberry juice, but not the cranberry cocktail — just regular cranberry juice — and a little bit of nut.
Finish: Some orange zest and some black pepper.
Second Pass:
Nose: Gummy caramel and a little bit of cola.
Palate: More sarsaparilla and tart cherry.
Finish: Real zesty and spicy kind of again.
Third Pass:
Nose: My immediate thought was, is this a Christmas bourbon? Maybe.
Palate: Cranberry and sour cherry again.
Finish: Grapefruit zest and barrel spice.
The Verdict
I think for a first entry into the market, for a four year old whiskey, for what these guys are doing — phenomenal pour.
Go figure out what these guys have going on. They’re doing some contract distillation for some other folks, but they’re also making their own stuff. And this is a very phenomenal pour at the price point that it is and for what they’re doing.
If you haven’t checked out Jackson Purchase yet, now’s the time.
Details:
Proof: 117.8
Age: 4 Years
Type: Full Proof, Batch 1
Worth it? Absolutely. Great price point for what you’re getting.