Jefferson’s Is Bringing Back Its Rum Cask-Finished Bourbon
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Jefferson’s Bourbon has had a good run over the past six months with the release of a pair of well-received new whiskeys: Marian McLain, a blend of five bourbons, and Tropics Aged in Humidity which was aged in Singapore. Now the brand is digging into its archives for the relaunch of Old Rum Cask Finish, which hasn’t been available for about a year due to supply issues.
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Jefferson’s Old Rum Cask Finish, as you can glean from the name, is a bourbon that gets a secondary maturation period in rum casks. After initially being aged for an undisclosed amount of time in new charred oak barrels, the whiskey was transferred to barrels that were previously used to mature Goslings Family Reserve. That’s the premium expression from this Bermuda-based rum brand that spends between 16 and 19 years aging, so these casks were pretty well seasoned by the time Jefferson’s got ahold of them. The bourbon then goes into these barrels for an additional 15 months, and according to the official tasting notes that results in flavors like caramel corn, cinnamon, chocolate ganache, and vanilla on the palate.
Over the years a bunch of other rum-finished bourbons have been released, including expressions from Breckenridge Distillery, Redemption Whiskey, Kentucky Peerless, Bardstown Bourbon Company, and the fantastic Master’s Keep Voyage from Wild Turkey. There have been some rum-finished rye whiskeys of note as well–the sweetness seems to complement the spice of this type of whiskey very nicely—from brands like Sagamore Spirit, Barrell Craft Spirits, and Angel’s Envy. And single malt scotch is certainly no stranger to a rum barrel finish, with whiskies like The Balvenie Caribbean Cask and Ardbeg Drum proving how well this marriage can work. Add Jefferson’s Old Rum Cask Finish to this growing list—again—you can find it for sale at websites like ReserveBar now.
Jefferson’s also just launched a contest called Escaping the Tropics to celebrate the previously mentioned Tropics Aged in Humidity release. You can enter by visiting the Jefferson’s website, and one lucky winner will get a trip for four to Costa Rica where you’ll spend four nights at the luxury glamping Nayara Tented Camp hotel, and presumably have the chance to drink a lot of Jefferson’s Bourbon in the Costa Rican rainforest. You have till March 24 to enter this contest, so there’s still plenty of time.
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