Bourbon

Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon

$59.99

OVERALL
RATING

9

Whiskey Review: Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon

Tasting Notes:

About:
This is a custom blend of five bourbon mash bills that saw finishing time in Pinot Noir casks from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. It is bottled at 95 proof and priced at $59.99.
Appearance:
The orange amber in this glass has a decidedly reddish tone, reflecting thick legs and viscosity.
Nose:
This one opens with a deep berry note and a hint of cherry cola. Vanilla, baked bread, a smattering of oak, some dark chocolate, and some spice are also present.
Palate:
If one were to craft a berry-forward, cherry cola-flavored whiskey, the palate on this would be that in spades. It pops in the berry fruit area, reflecting cherries, strawberries, and raspberries alongside additional oak notes, deep vanilla, marshmallows, cacao, and a bit of allspice.
Finish:
This finishes sweet and a bit dry, holding a short end on the back throat.
Comments:
Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon is an extremely well-crafted example of a wine cask used in finishing. It brings forward the best notes of the finishing vessels—a super nice sipper.
Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon review
We review Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon, a custom blend of five bourbon mash bills that saw finishing time in Pinot Noir casks from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. (image via Chattanooga Whiskey)

Editor’s Note: We received a review sample of this whiskey from the brand. However, in accordance with our editorial policies, this has not influenced the outcome of our review in any way.

Chattanooga Whiskey, in the business of Tennessee whiskey since 2011, initially had to overcome prohibition-type laws to win the right to distill whiskey in Chattanooga for the first time in 100 years. Led by Founder Tim Piersant, Chattanooga Whiskey today has two distilleries under its label, including the Experimental Distillery, which is said to be “the only standalone experimental distillery in the country.”

The other distillery, The Riverfront Distillery, is the production home to Chattanooga Whiskey’s signature expressions, Chattanooga Whiskey 91, Cask 111, and 99 Rye, as well as their Bottled in Bond Vintage Series and Barrel Finishing Series.

Of particular note is the distillery’s focus on a one-of-a-kind Tennessee High Malt style.

What’s in the bottle

The whiskey being reviewed here, Chattanooga Whiskey Russian River Pinot Cask Finished Bourbon, is the latest in this brand’s Barrel Finishing Series. It marries a custom blend of five bourbon mash bills, including their classic wheated and roasted mash bills, along with a one-off version of their signature Barrel 91 recipe, which was distilled at higher proofs.

Total aging is over four years, including six months in Pinot Noir casks from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California.

“If there was one word to describe our finishing series,” said Grant McCracken, Chief Product Officer for Chattanooga Whiskey, when this was released, “it’d be ‘focus.’ ‘Focus’ on barrel origin, and ‘focus’ on whiskey recipe. This particular finishing release focused on one of the world’s best known pinot noir growing regions: California’s Russian River Valley. To these barrels, our distillers introduced a variety of mash bills which collectively spoke to the complex yet delicate fruit flavors of this region.”

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This Tennessee “high malt” bourbon, bottled at 95 proof, is priced at $59.99 for a 750 ml bottle.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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