We have yet another guest taster. Brett is a neighbor and has long been a fan of Bourbon. His normal pleasure is Blanton’s, which you can’t fault him for that, Weller’s Special Reserve and Woodford Reserve.
On this rainy afternoon in Indianapolis we are pouring Big Ass Bourbon. BA is 90 proof, comes in a very tall corked bottle with a large donkey on the front. Sells between $25 and $29 and is generally available around here.
One oddity, it has an age statement that says it is under 2 years old. We understand that to be called Bourbon it had to age for at least 2 years in the barrel. It states “Bourbon” on the label but does not have the word straight on the label, maybe that is the difference.
NOSE
Ron: I have to really think about it, but I get a little rye/spice on the nose. Maybe a little sweetness.
Todd: Yeah, pretty weak nose. I detect a little corn/grain smell, that’s about it.
Brett: I caught the rye that Ron talked about but not much else.
TASTE
Ron: I tasted a little spice, honey, and some citrus.
Todd: I tasted a little caramel on the tongue, a little heat, not much else. Pretty tame.
Brett: I thought it to be somewhat smooth, but lacking flavor, maybe a little hint of honey. Sorry I am not adding more.
FINISH
Ron: Todd: Brett: We all thought BA had a pretty weak finish.
OVERALL
Ron: Not impressed, interesting bottle and label but not much taste. Reminds me of a light, or session, beer. It’s not horrible, just drinkable. There are a lot of other more premium tasting bourbons for the same price.
Todd: I agree with Ron, I have stuff in my cabinet at $12 or $13 that I would choose over this and I could name a whole bunch under $30 that I would buy first.
Brett: Ditto, definitely not top shelf stuff. Maybe lack of aging has a role in the weak taste.
Nose 2 out of 5
Taste 4 out of 10
Finish 2 out of 5
Total 8 out of 20 barrels.
Well, as you can read, we didn’t come away with much love for Big Ass. Not much aroma, taste or finish. didn’t seem to help adding ice or water. We guess it would make a decent Bourbon and cola.
Bottom line, the extraordinary tall bottle with the name that jumps out seems to be more of a marketing ploy. You can buy a lot better stuff at a lot lower price.