Tastings
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Welcome to the AmericanWhiskey Magazine tasting pages. We guide you through a plethora of whiskeys so you are equipped to make your next purchase, whether something new or an old favorite. Whiskeys are tasted blind, with only proof and style information given to the experts. In this edition, Peggy Noe Stevens and Susan Reigler give their palates a workout.
Peggy Noe Stevens
Peggy Noe Stevens became the world's first female master Bourbon taster and can trace her lineage back to some of the great Bourbon making families in Kentucky. In 2011, she created the Bourbon Women Association.
Susan Reigler
Susan Reigler is the author of several Bourbon books, including Kentucky Bourbon Country: The Essential Travel Guide, and is a former restaurant critic and beverage columnist for the Louisville Courier-Journal. She is the immediate past president of the Bourbon Women Association.
THE PROCESS
• All samples are blind tasted, with proof and style the only information disclosed.
• Samples are tasted individually over a two week period.
• Tasters are provided tasting and scoring guidelines for consistency.
• The top scorer is awarded Editor’s Choice.
• Scores of 17+ qualify for the top 5 recommended whiskeys.
Bardstown Bourbon Company
The Prisoner Finish Release 2
BARDSTOWN BOURBON COMPANY
Peggy
Nose: Alluring nose of sweet baked brioche and anise. Peach marmalade and red apple with slight vanilla custard. Cotton candy for days.
Palate: Gingery flavors spike on the first sip. Dark raisin and candied apple. Honey and vanilla with graham cracker.
Finish: Mouth-filling bready finish that brightens with grain flavors and cereal tones.
Comments: Ample overlays of toasty goodness and a ginger chaser to create a perfect highball.
8.6
Proof: 100
ABV: 50%
Style: Bourbon
State: TN
Price: $$$
Susan
Nose: Very rich aroma. Nuts and honey, almost like peanut butter and honey on a banana.
Palate: Nuts are joined by caramel and the bananas are being kept company with some ripe apples. Honey provides rich sweetness. Very rich mouthfeel.
Finish: The nuts, fruit, and honey don’t stop. They simply finally fade.
Comments: Unusual and intriguing. Don’t mix this with anything, not even water, which dulls rather than
