Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the Dexter Bourbon Company. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.
The Dexter Bourbon Company is named for Edmund Dexter, a man they refer to as one of the “leading bourbon pioneers of his time.” He was good enough at the whiskey blending he did that King Edward VII and Charles Dickens visited him at his Cincinnati home. Today’s Dexter Bourbon Company was founded by Doug Hall and Joe Girgash.
That Cincinnati area also now houses Brain Brew Custom WHISKeY, a craft distillery that produces whiskey; Dexter Bourbon Company, their primary brand;, WoodCraft Bourbon Blender LLC, their franchising company; and Eureka! Ranch, the sister company and the location of their distillery. There’s a lot going on in here so let’s just focus on the Dexter brand and its flagship whiskey we’re reviewing herein: Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon.
Those three woods for which this whiskey is named are 200-year oak, maple, and cherry. As we said in our November article about this whiskey, Dexter Three Wood is a result of something described as “WoodCraft Finishing” with three artisan woods, Each of the woods, it is said, provides a different element, a long, luxurious finish, smoothness, and fresh, bright flavor. This They must be doing something right with the Dexter Three Wood, because the Ultimate Spirits Challenge gave it 95 points (their highest score) and it was selected as one of the Top 100 Spirits in the World. Not bad for the distiller’s own personal Covid challenge.
Tasting Notes: Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon
Vital stats: The mash bill is unclear other than it’s 36% rye; 100.6 proof; about $50; aged an undetermined amount of time.
Appearance: The reddish brown of a henna tattoo on a tanned arm. Carmine red, stirred with a cinnamon stick.
Nose: Subtle and softly sweet. I get banana bread, regular Coke gone flat and sweetly soothing (do they still make Coke syrup? My mom would give me that in tablespoons when my stomach hurt; I don’t know if it really did a damn thing but it soothed me mentally, I guess) .Also cherries and butterscotch. It’s pleasing, really.
Palate: I don’t mind this, actually. I thought I wouldn’t like it because the marketing’s so cheesy. But it’s also pleasing on the palate, which is a relief. It does have the slightly hot tingle of a three-digit proof but the sweetness covers up most of it. It doesn’t taste like a fake-flavored soda, but I will say it follows on the Classic Coke nose. Because of the cherry on the nose and the palate as well, I’d say Cherry Coke but that tastes super-artificial: This is like regular cola with actual cherry added to it, so: pleasant! I don’t know what the entire mash bill in this is, but I’m guessing it’s pretty corn-heavy because of the sweetness it tends to bring. It doesn’t have the heft of something like a Michter’s or Four Roses, but it’s not a bad thing to quaff when the weather outside continues to be depressing AF.
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