According to Vinepair, Amburana wood was first used in American whiskey in a 2019 release from Whistle Pig. By 2022 the use was becoming something of a trend and 2023 was probably the peak year for its use…and then something happened and it seems to have shrank from use so much that it took me several weeks of looking (casually, not intently hunting) to find a good one to add to my collection. Today we look at RD1’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished With Brazilian Amburana Wood.
As the name states, Amburana is a Brazilian wood frequently used for aging cachaca, an agricultural rum variant that originates in Brazil. It is known for being especially potent in aroma and flavor so it really doesn’t take much time to “finish” bourbon with it. RD1 has their partner cooperage drill the Amburana staves in a honeycomb pattern and while they don’t disclose exactly how long they sit in the barrel, someone else told me that another distillery indicated that a single week is enough to impact flavor.
This standard RD1 bourbon is aged a minimum of 4 years and bottled at 110 proof (55% ABV). Despite the young age, it does appear a relatively dark amber in the glass, with a reddish-orange hue. Putting my nose into it, I get the first hint of why this wood is so prized…bright cinnamon notes, along with lesser notes of other baking spice and brown sugar. Taking a sip and it becomes that much more amazing. At the front of the palate, it is sweet with molasses and vanilla, but once you let it expand to the mid palate, the whiskey practically explodes with the flavor of freshly baked cinnamon rolls. The finish is long and warming.
This bourbon style isn’t going to be for everyone…if you can walk through a mall past the Cinnabon at the food court and not have your mouth water and your feet involuntarily take you in that direction, you probably won’t care about this whiskey much either. But if you want to taste a natural cinnamon taste in your whiskey (not “Fireball artificial”), this is a great place to start.
