Today Talking Bourbon is drinking, uh, we mean tasting, Bib and Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey. From their website” Our name, bottle, and small batch approach were inspired by the turn of the century in America. A time of unprecedented progress and adventure when all bourbon was small batch.” Apparently, the name is a 19th-century term that has something to do with wearing your best clothes. We are not sure how that ties in with Bourbon. Small batch is the blending of barrels to get a desired and somewhat consistent taste. Pretty much the same as standard Bourbons but on a smaller scale, usually between 10 and 50 barrels but could go up to 200 barrels.
Bib and Tucker Small Batch Bourbon comes in a very cool-looking ornate corked bottle with the name embossed on the glass. It definitely grabs your attention. Bib and Tucker sells for around $53, is aged 6 years, is 92 proof, and is widely available. The website states that the mash bill is corn, rye, and barley but not the percentages. Being Bourbon, we know it has to be at least 51% corn.
A side note, per their site, it states that it is charcoal filtered. On the bottle, it states it is made in Tennessee. So, to us, technically this is a Tennessee Whiskey akin to Jack Daniels and George Dickel. As our readers know, while George is a decent drink, we both detest Jack which tastes like used charcoal. Hopefully, we haven’t paid $53 for a bottle of ash.
A quick shout-out to Erin from Total Wine in Nora/Indianapolis for suggesting this Bourbon for our tasting.
NOSE
Matt: Very slight aromas of leather, apples, yeast, and grass. Some ice brings out a woody smell.
Todd: A decent nose with oak up front as the main scent. This is followed by bread, leather, pepper, and cinnamon spice.
TASTE
Matt: Sweeter than the nose, but also spicey with tastes of rye, caramel, bread, and cloves. Ice brings out more sweetness.
Todd: A slightly nutty, oaky taste with a little toffee. Also, get a hint of pepper. A little hot neat but not overly so. Ice mellows everything.
FINISH
Matt: Medium with more rye and some pepper.
Todd: Medium long with more spice.
OVERALL
Matt: This is a nice, if somewhat confusing, Bourbon. The nose and the taste do not match, but that makes it interesting.
Todd: A good, but not great, drink that succeeds in being both sweet and spicey.
Nose 4 out of 5
Taste 8 out of 10
Finish 3.75 out of 5
Total score 15.75 out of 20 barrels.
While Bib and Tucker Small Batch Bourbon didn’t score really high, it is a good drink and when not sitting there and concentrating on smells and tastes, is an enjoyable glass of Bourbon. It has a nice nose and taste, but neither is overly complex, and we believe this held it back a bit. One good thing, neither of us tasted charcoal or ash. Well, it is a good thing for us, because, unbelievably, we know there are millions of people out there that love themselves some Jack.
Bib and Tucker Bourbon is worth the buy if for nothing else, having that cool bottle on your shelf. The bottle also makes a good conversation starter. But beyond that, it has a nice sweet /spice thing going for it, has just enough heat neat to know you are drinking an adult beverage and that heat stands up well in cocktails. In the end, Talking Bourbon will keep a bottle of Bib and Tucker on hand, and we advise you to as well.
Interesting in tasting new whiskeys without purchasing a whole bottle, only to find out it sucks? Try Flavier and select the samples option!