Distillery: B.R. Distilling Company
Proof: 93
Age: 9 Years
Mashbill: Blend of 84% Corn, 8% Rye, 8% Malted Barley & 70% Corn, 22% Rye, 8% Malted Barley
BACKGROUND: Blue Note Bourbon comes from B.R. Distilling based out of Memphis, TN which is the oldest licensed distillery in Memphis. Named after the world-famous Memphis blues music, Blue Note is a straight Tennessee bourbon whiskey. B.R. Distilling distills and ages their whiskey near the banks of the Mississippi River deep in the Delta with the heat and humidity allowing for their whiskey to have distinct and rich flavors. B.R. Distilling offers 5 expressions of Blue Note: Juke Joint, Juke Joint Uncut, Premium Small Batch, Single Barrel, and 17 Year.
NOSE: The nose is quite rich for 93 proof with scents of vanilla, oak sugars, baking spices like clove, citrus, and a strong ethanol scent that adds a rawness to the whiskey. Overall, the nose is rich but raw with the ethanol scents blending with the sweet and spicy notes. (22/25)
PALATE: As advertised, this whiskey is incredibly rich and chewy with a dense and oily mouthfeel. There are notes of fresh orange marmalade, oak spice, white pepper, caramel, and black cherry that form a delicious and balanced dark sweet flavor profile. There is also some roasted nutty notes that add a dryness and oiliness to it. (34/40)
FINISH: The finish is long and smooth but lacks depth as the flavors of orange peel, deep oak, and caramel fade a little too quickly. There is a little burn at the end but not in a painful way, more of a tingle which is great for a 93 proof whiskey. (21/25)
VALUE: With a $55 SRP this is a great value whiskey if you can find it! We found it in a small liquor store passing through Arkansas. (7/10)
Overall: 84/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: Blue Note Premium Small Batch Bourbon is a delicious and great value bourbon whiskey with rich notes and a sweeter flavor profile. We strongly recommend this to anyone and everyone if you can find it at or around SRP.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Chattanooga 111
Similar & Equal Whiskey: Bardstown Fusion Series #4
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Still ATX The Musician
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away