~$40- Purchased at Riverside Wine & Spirits
Background
Coopers’ Craft is a relatively new name in the Bourbon industry, coming from the Brown-Forman distillery that also makes Old Forester. It is said to have a “slightly different” mash bill than Old Forester and while they don’t provide a mash bill, one site stated that the original Coopers’ Craft uses 72% corn, 18% rye, and 10% malted barley. This amount of rye and the absence of wheat in the bill should provide for a spicier and less sweet bourbon expression.
I tried Coopers’ a couple years back for the first time and while I liked it, I’ve been advised that their output is a little inconsistent. I, myself, haven’t had enough of it to really state that for fact. When I saw this slightly elevated version of the whiskey at Riverside Wine & Spirits a couple weeks ago I decided to give it a try.
I have no idea if the mash bill I listed above is correct and I have no way of knowing if the mash bill in this Barrel Reserve expression is the same, but they do say that the barrels for this expression are “chiseled,” apparently so the whiskey gets deeper into the wood. This is said to be a “one of a kind” extra step, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it turns up in other places as distillers try to differentiate their more expensive whiskies. It is bottled at 100 proof.
Notes
The Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve had a nice dark amber color in the glass and the familiar aromas of vanilla and oak, with a touch of honey. The initial sip had molasses sweetness right up front, melting away quickly to a more woody note and a good deal of pepper, enhanced by the alcohol vapors owing to its 50% alcohol content.
I added a little water to try to tame some of the pepper. While it did so, it also muted the sweeter notes to a degree. It still fulfilled the marketing mission of being a “bold and complex” bourbon, though, offering up some notes of apple tartness in its slightly diluted form.
I paired this cigar with an Oliva Serie V No. 4 (Petite Corona), a double-ligero Nicaraguan blend with an Ecuadorian wrapper. This rather strong cigar had tons of earth and leather, while a nice sweetness in the mix from the Jalapa-grown ligero in the blend.
Coopers’ Craft Barrel Reserve is a very fine Bourbon that isn’t quite in the “high rye” segment but is getting close. The combination of rye and malted barley leads to a lower sweetness, which reminds me Chattanooga Whiskey’s Bourbon products, although Coopers’ Craft does tend to be a little sweeter. If that sounds like what you’re looking for in a Bourbon, then I encourage you to pick up a bottle. Like most Bourbons, it pair well with almost any cigar, but I would especially go with something medium-or-full-bodied as this whiskey might tend to crush most milder sticks.
