Michigan’s Traverse City Whiskey Co. recently unveiled their new Finishing Series, a set of three types of whiskey finished an extra year in unique wine cases.
“Starting with three of our award-winning whiskeys, we further aged them using various wine cases, and captured fond memories of folks’ time here in Traverse City in a bottle,” said Chris Fredrickson, Traverse City founder and president, in a prepared statement.
He discussed Traverse City’s Finishing Series lineup, noting that the Port Barrel Finish Bourbon features their classic straight bourbon with a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. It aged five years before finishing a year in large, 300-liter Ruby Port wine barrels.
The distiller’s notes explain that the dryness of the casks blended well with the sweetness of the bourbon. It clocks in at 100 proof, 50% ABV, and on the nose has aromas of stone fruit and buttercream with a hint of orange. The taste is of tart cherries, vanilla, sweet fennel, and a hint of toasted marshmallow. It finishes tannic but slightly sweet, with tastes of burnt sugar and toasted orange peel.
The Cab Franc Barrel Finish is Traverse City’s 100% straight rye whiskey aged five years and finished a year in Cabernet Franc barrels from a northern Michigan winery. It clocks in at 97.5 proof, 48.75% ABV. On the nose, there’s sweet cherries, lemongrass, wintergreen, and milk chocolate and tastes buttery with hints of caraway seed, toasted sesame, and bitter orange.
Traverse City’s Sherry Barrel Finish is a high-rye bourbon with a mash bill of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% malted barley. Aged five years in new American oak barrels, it rested in Pedro Ximenez Sherry wine barrels for a year. It clocks in at 95 proof, 47.5% ABV.
On the nose, the Sherry Barrel Finish features aromas of caramel, sassafras (root beer), cinnamon, and raisins. It tastes a bit nutty with flavors of walnut, toasted almond, green cardamom, and a hint of vanilla bean. The finish finds mild, toasted rye bread and tobacco.
The complete set of three or individual 750ml bottles are available at the company’s two tasting rooms (in Traverse City and Ferndale, Michigan) and online at www.tcwhiskey.com. They have a suggested retail price of $59.99 each.
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