46% ABV
Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey
Tennessee
With bourbon laying claim to being the only true American whiskey, the question arises of how long that has been the case. Bourbon makers can’t put up numbers like Scotch distilleries, some of which predate golf, or rum distilleries that spread across the New World thanks to Columbus dropping off some sugar cane plants taken from his father-in-law’s Madeira farm.
But in a relatively newer country, bourbon can still brag some dates. Burks Distillery in Marion County, Kentucky was formed in 1773, and is the oldest enduring distillery, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Burks is also where Maker’s Mark has been produced since 1954.
But the cocktail culture has welcomed another line of bourbons that only look and sound old. Bib & Tucker Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey emerged in this category in October of 2014. The name derives from women’s clothing items used in the 17th to 19th centuries: a bib still used today mostly by babies and lobster eaters, and a piece of material that kept the décolletage tucked away.
The bottle is distinct, with rounded corners and raised lettering that makes you want to pick it up. It stands out on an abundant liquor store shelf holding numerous brands of bourbon. And maybe that’s really all it takes, along with slogans on each bottle, like “Why It’s a Fine Time to Drink.” The label notes Bib & Tucker is “artfully crafted and patiently aged” in Tennessee for 10 years, sourced from an unknown distillery and double-distilled, first in a column still and then transferred to a pot still.
The bourbon was introduced by 3 Badge Beverage Corp., part of 35 Maple Street Spirits in Sonoma, California. It was purchased in 2017 by the Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, a company that owns several wine brands—including The Calling wines, co-owned by sports announcer Jim Nantz—along with Cantera Negra Tequila, Gray Whale Gin, Redemption Whiskey, Luksusowa Vodka, and Masterson’s Rye.
Unlike most bourbons, but in keeping with other Tennessee Whiskeys, Bib & Tucker is filtered through maple charcoal before it is moved into a charred oak barrel for aging. It’s a process that some say involves gravity rather than pressure.
Since 2013, the state of Tennessee requires use of this pre-barrel filtration, called the Lincoln County Process, before a distiller can call its product Tennessee whiskey. Jack Daniels, which also uses the process, explains on its website how all the steps used to make its product are the same as those used in distilling bourbon, except for what it calls “an extra blessing,” the charcoal filtering.
But while the state of Tennessee requires the Lincoln County Process, federal regulations defining bourbon neither require nor prohibit its use. Bib & Tucker says the process, “combined with the precise amount of time spent in the barrel, develops our exceptionally smooth yet complex bourbon.”
– Pairing by: Erik Calviño
TASTING NOTES:
This Tennessee-made bourbon whiskey opens with an almost overwhelming amount of corn and caramel sweetness on the nose with subtle notes of oak breaking through. The palate is a little hotter than expected but a drop of water or a clean ice cube takes care of that. The sweetness from the nose comes through with even more intensity as you drink accompanied by strong oak tannins.
