The whiskey wash logo
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website
The World's Most-Visited
Whiskey Website

Trending Stories

Search
Bourbon

Whiskey Review: Blue Note Juke Joint Whiskey

We review Blue Note Juke Joint Whiskey, a budget-friendly bottling from the B.R. Distilling Company. Its name pays homage to Memphis blues.

OVERALL RATING

7
$30.00
  • Carin Moonin is a Portland-based whiskey enthusiast and writer.
Like Conversation
Blue Note Juke Joint

Tasting Notes

About:

93 proof, unfiltered; mash bill of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley; aged over three years; about $30.
Appearance:
Gold into copper. Like a new penny that you run by on the street and notice when it’s too late to pick it up and then wonder if you will have bad luck the rest of the day. Or one of the light flecks or striations in a tiger’s eye stone.
Nose:
The nose is straight-up lively. Want to get up and dance? A whiff of this may make you want to do it. It’s got promise. There’s a lot happening. Not like the blues where there is too much happening and there is like a riff on everything and you don’t know where to focus or even if you should and it…can get annoying. This is more like elements of a party, but a good one, with the right mix of guests. What does that smell like? Well, it smells like pound cake, lemon icing that’s the perfect balance of powdered sugar and milk and lemon zest, caramel, Nilla wafers, and fresh cream. Not a bad mix, right? is a little better than the
Palate:
I’ll be honest. I was expecting to like this less than I did. I liked it! It zigged and zagged in pleasant ways! This is not going to blow you away or make you ponder upon its complexity. It’s a decent bourbon that will hold up fine in a drink. And there is something to be said for that. Is this a contemplative sipper? It is not. Is it a blowout party in a glass? It is not. It’s not a rager, but it’s a party you kind of drag your feet on attending and then are pleasantly surprised. The nose is a little better than the palate, which finishes decently, if a little menthol and just the slightest bit like the burnt end of a moxa stick. But if you were to put this in a Gold Rush or a whiskey sour or a riff on a penicillin? This would hold up just fine. For $30, it’s a fine choice.
Finish:
Comments:
Like a good partygoer, you can take this whiskey somewhere and it will hold its own just fine. You don’t have to keep checking on it to make sure it’s ok. It’ll do well in whatever mix you try and give it. It’s not a wallflower.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Carin Moonin

Carin Moonin swapped a 5th-floor walkup in Hoboken, NJ, for a house in SE Portland a decade ago and hasn't looked back. She appreciates Portland's vibrant whiskey scene, finding it complements both the weather and her mood. Carin enjoys exploring the diverse world of brown liquor and its many facets. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Salon.com, DailyDot.com, Willamette Week, Portland Monthly, and others. When she's not indulging in whiskey or writing about it, you can find Carin running, reading, or on the hunt for free samples in grocery stores.

All Posts

Latest On The Whiskey Wash

The whiskey wash logo