Another day, another tasting, and another offering from the Widow Jane Distillery in New York. This will be our third review of their juice in the last 3 months or so. First was Widow Jane Applewood rye, then the flagship Widow Jane 10-year Bourbon, and now Baby Jane Heirloom Corn Bourbon Whiskey. We talked about the distillery in the first two posts, so we won’t dwell on that in this one. Baby Jane is the name of their own heirloom corn, from their site ” This unique corn has depth, sweetness and creamy-spiciness that makes Baby Jane Bourbon truly different,” we will see.
Baby Jane sells for $49, is 91 proof, can be hard to find, and comes in a short squat corked bottle. There is no age statement or mash bill info on the bottle or on their website, but is considered to be 4 to 6 years old, and a few sites say the mash bill is 80% corn. 10% rye and 10% malted barley.
We really liked the Applewood Rye but were a little harder on the 10-year Bourbon. Here’s to hoping we find another keeper from Widow Jane.
NOSE
TB: Vanilla, caramel, oak, corn, and an overall sweetness akin to cotton candy or maybe even a donut hit the nose first. A fruity scent of orange and apricot follows that, with just a slight bit of black pepper and leather. Ice brought out a light freshness with a touch of molasses.
TASTE
TB: We all get the strong vanilla, caramel, corn, and oak that was on the nose, along with some pepper and fruit. Secondary flavors are white cake and leather. All of us thought that there was another taste here that we just could not identify. Ice tends to turn the caramel into more of a honey taste.
FINISH
TB: Medium with some sweet fruit, giving away to a slight bitterness.
OVERALL
TB: A very balanced drink that is a pretty good buy for the price.
Nose 3.75 out of 5
Taste 7.25 out of 10
Finish 3 out of 5
Total score 14 out of 20 barrels.
Widow Jane’s Baby Jane Heirloom Corn Bourbon is a good Bourbon that is easily worth the $49. It has a cool name, a cool story, and can be hard to find. Having said that, it is on the sweeter side and is not overly complex. We all liked it neat, but we all also liked it better with some ice or water. It has an almost refreshing quality to it that makes it a very good “summer” Bourbon.
Vinal verdict, if you can find Baby Jane, we recommend buying a bottle. You will have a nice-tasting Bourbon at a decent price, and one that your friends might not have or even heard of.