Sometimes when you are out on the hunt you stumble upon a bottle that just intrigues you for whatever reasons. May be the bottle, distillery its from, age, proof or a thousand other reasons. This week’s review is one of those blind buys I made in Chicago. Was it the simple label, extra tall bottle, 9-year age statement or maybe the liquor store owner’s recommendation? Who knows what made me put down the $57 for this bottle but let’s find out if Blue Note Bourbon will hit the right notes or just give me the blues.

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NAME – Blue Note Bourbon Premium Small Batch – Batch 6

PROOF – 93

AGE – 9 years

COLOR – auburn hair (1.2, chestnut ploroso sherry on the Whiskey Magazine Color Chart)

NOSE – Rice pudding with raisin and cinnamon. Some peanut and oak if you continue to explore.

TASTE – Wildflower honey, vanilla, cinnamon, honey roasted peanut, toasted oak, and some pie crust.

FINISH – I would call this a medium. A toasted oak at the end with some vanilla and black tea.

REVIEW – In all honesty I anticipated to absolutely trash this bottle as I had a neck pour of this when I had it and it wasn’t good. I put it to the back of my collection with little intent to pull it out. I has been open for about a year since that neck pour and things have changed. The mineral taste I had before is completely gone. It has opened up to a very pleasant pour. Would love about 10 more proof points on this and then you would really have something. Easy drinking pour with little to complain about.

FINAL COMMENTS – Again I am reminded to not judge a bourbon off the neck pour or just 1 pour. I know there are conflicting opinions about “opening up” of a bourbon. Some say it is a fallacy and something in your head. Other total believe that it is as critical as allowing wine to breath. I continually move more and more to the later side. So if you have a bottle that you didn’t like on the first pour, pull it out and give it a try again. Things may have changed.

Other facts from this bourbon, it is a blend of 2 mash bills that are aged a minimum of 9 years. 84% corn, 8% rye, and 8% malted barley on the one mash bill and 70% corn, 22% rye, and 8% malted barley on the other.

Some other interesting facts or questions. They call it Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey instead of Tennessee Whiskey. I can’t find any clarifying rules for Tennessee Straight Bourbon Whiskey like you can find for Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. My guess is they follow Tennessee Whiskey rules which still qualifies it as a bourbon.

Most think this is sourced from Dickel. After my first pour I would have said the same but now I don’t know. That famous Dickel Flintstone vitamin note or any mineral note is not there.

This bottle seems to take you on a journey and is a bit mysterious similar to a good blues song. Where did it really come from? Why certain notes appear when you open it and then is now no where to be found. Even on the Blue Note website, this wasn’t to even be available in Chicago but there it was. What I would say is, DJ play that song again.

To find out more about Blue Note Bourbon you can check them out here.

You can check out all the past Sunday Evening Reviews and still let me know what your own thoughts are on the whiskey reviewed.