My stepfather is in recovery tonight after an eight-hour surgery today at the VA hospital. During this time my mother is staying with us. Because who makes their mother stay alone in a hotel while she worries over her hospitalized husband? As such, I’m going to be spending as much time as possible distracting her from her worry. As such, it’s going to have to be a quick one tonight. In fact, as he is going to be recovering for at least the next week, I may miss an article or more next week. Sorry about that, but family comes first.
But I thought tonight’s whiskey might be fitting. When my mom arrived earlier this week, she brought a little something to repay me for letting her stay and for driving her to the hospital and back every day. And as luck would have it, it is something that I’ve never purchased before.
Jefferson’s Ocean is the fourth whiskey from the Jefferson’s Bourbon line that I’ve reviewed. I did their two standard releases back in 2017 and 2018 and then their now discontinued 18-year-old version way back in 2014. Jefferson’s is a sourced whiskey and they are very open about that fact. I described them in a previous review as “good chefs” that use their ingredients (sourced bourbon) to make something better than the sum of its parts. And as I admire the blender’s skill as much if not more than the distiller’s skill, that seems good enough for me.
Ocean is a bourbon that they put on an ocean-going vessel and then send around the world for a bit. Tonight’s version started in Savannah, GA, and visited Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and the US West Coast before making its way back to Savannah. If you are super curious, you can read about its voyage here.
Let’s see how it tastes.
Jefferson's Ocean, Voyage 23
Purchase Info: I got this as a gift, but my mom says it ran her almost $90.
Price per Drink (50 mL): about $6.00
Details: 45% ABV
Nose: Delicate and floral. Hints of caramel, mint, and fruit.
Mouth: Mint, baking spice, fruit, caramel, and vanilla.
Finish: Gentle and medium length. Notes of cinnamon, fruit, and eucalyptus.
Thoughts: This is a pretty underwhelming bourbon. Especially for the price it goes for. There is nothing wrong with the bourbon and I'll finish the bottle with no complaints. But it is just doesn’t taste like a $90 bourbon. In fact, it doesn't seem all that different than their entry-level Jefferson's Very Small Batch that goes for less than $30 locally. I like it, but due to the price, I'd give this one a pass unless you are a big fan of Jefferson's Bourbon.
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