I’d like to thank Village Garage Distillery for sending these samples with no strings attached.
Sometimes, the simplest things are the best. For example, right now I am reveling in the opportunity to just sit. It’s a wonderful feeling after spending the last couple of days moving large rocks and mulch from one part of my yard to the other. The good news is that I can finally look outside and not dread the work that still needs to be done. The bad news is that my back will probably remind me of every one of those rocks and every shovelful of mulch for the next few days. But sitting? That’s the thing I’m enjoying right now.
And I don’t know about you, but the "cocktail" I enjoy most is also the simplest. It’s a special thing I like to call Bourbon in a Glass. I know, I’m a wiz at naming things. And tonight I get to look at a bourbon that is very new to me, along with a flavored bourbon made from that bourbon. The folks at Village Garage Distillery in Vermont reached out to me in May and asked if I would be interested in looking at their bourbon. Being the type of person who doesn’t live anywhere near Vermont, I said yes.
So, let’s dig into the bourbon first, as that is the basis for the flavored bourbon. The bourbon comes with a very simple mash bill: 60% corn and 40% malted rye. Two ingredients. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. And since there isn’t an age statement on this, we can assume that it is at least four years old, though it could be older. Bottled at 90 proof, it is available on their website for $49.99.
Ok, now that we have the bourbon out of the way, let’s turn our attention to Village Bonfire. This takes the bourbon above and blends it with smoked maple syrup. Village Bonfire is also bottled at 90 proof. Now, I’m going to show my biases here. I love maple syrup. I can’t say the same for whiskeys with smoke as part of the flavor profile. So I am going to be as fair as I can and tell you how I feel, but also let you know how I think you and others may like it, which in this case will be quite different.
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Village Bourbon
Purchase Info: This was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. It is available at their website for $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (mL): $3.33
Details: 45% ABV. Mash bill: 60% corn, 40% malted rye (according to an email exchange with their Associate Distiller, the label just says rye).
Nose: My initial nosing note was Cherry Coke, so it's not too surprising that it broke down into the constituent notes of cherry and cola, along with cedar and floral vanilla.
Mouth: Gentle at first, with a spice that hits within moments. Earthy and corn-forward with notes of dried grain, cinnamon, leather, and a touch of fruit and barrel char underneath.
Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. Lingering notes of cherry, cola, cinnamon, dried corn, and a little bit of earthiness/smoke.
Thoughts: I'm giving this one a "like" rating. I'd drink way too much of it around a campfire if you brought it along, but I probably wouldn't buy it for my shelf, as I'm not the biggest fan of tasting the corn itself in a bourbon. I prefer corn to be there for mouthfeel and sweetness, not flavor. But this feels like it was made for a night of rustic camping under the stars while gathered around a fire that is starting to burn low. You know that time of night when the voices start to get quieter and you are only putting one piece of wood on at a time, just so there isn't as much to put out when you finally retire to your sleeping bag. That is what this bourbon brings to mind. It's not my preferred bourbon flavor profile, but I could see myself really enjoying it in the right setting.
Village Bonfire
Purchase Info: This was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. It is available at their website for $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (mL): $2.66
Details: Village Bourbon with Vermont smoked maple syrup. 45% ABV.
Nose: There is a medicinal, almost Band-Aid-like note at first from the smoke. Under that are cherry, vanilla, maple, and brown sugar.
Mouth: The same smoke-derived medicinal note appears on the palate, but so do notes of cherry, maple, vanilla, baking spice, wintergreen, and oak.
Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of maple, cherry, vanilla, baking spice, oak, the smoke-derived medicinal/Band-Aid note, and wintergreen.
Thoughts: First, my biases. I have never found a smoky whiskey that I've liked. I am extremely sensitive to smoke in my drinks. Peated Scotch makes me want to gag. I just don’t care for the Band-Aid, candle wax, and similar notes that peat smoke brings to a peated Scotch. I also don't care for most wood-smoke flavors in bourbon. So, that said, this has smoke notes that split the difference between peat smoke and wood smoke for me. As you can guess, those notes severely detract from the flavor for me.
That said, this is a very well-crafted flavored bourbon. The mouthfeel is thick and rich. The flavors are complex. It isn't nearly as sweet as you might expect from a bourbon with maple syrup in it. If it didn't have that smoke note—or if I were someone who enjoyed both smoky bourbon and peated Scotch—this would be getting a "love" rating. However, as it is, I have to give it a neutral rating because, while I don't care for it, I think a lot of folks without my personal smoke sensitivity will really enjoy this one. Seriously, if you enjoy smoke notes, this is one to check out.
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