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Hogsworth The 15 “High Corn” Review

What happens when young high-corn bourbon clashes with 52-year-old Armagnac? Hogsworth's The 15 High Corn is a bold gamble—but does the risk pay off?

OVERALL RATING

7
$195
  • Charles Steele is an attorney and whiskey enthusiast with a penchant for the peculiar.
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Tasting Notes

About:

Hogsworth – from Raj Bhakta – has unveiled The 15, a new cask strength collection featuring 15-year average age spirits available in three formats. The release includes H.W.’s Master Blend, a High Hog 3-Pack, and a Private Barrel Program exclusive to select retailers. “The 15 signals the start of Hogsworth’s next chapter,” the company stated in its announcement.

Building on the Master Blend, The 15 High Hog 3-Pack showcases three distinct profiles. The collection includes a sweeter High Corn variant, a spicier High Rye expression, and a smokier High Islay bottling. This trio retails for $195 for three 750ml bottles.

This review is for the “High Corn” recipe and features a unique blend of aged whiskey and Armagnac. This is another evolution for Bhakta spirits and their foray into Armagnac/Bourbon blends. It is an interesting pairing as I noted in my Hogsworth The 10 review. I believe there is a lot of merit here and am excited to see where this goes.

Vital Stats:
Blend is 55% Bourbon and 45% Armagnac.
20% 6 Minnesota Bourbon
30% 5 year 9 month Tennessee Bourbon
5% 5 year Tennessee Bourbon

15% 12 year French Armagnac
15% 15 year French Armagnac
15% 52 year French Armagnac

Bourbon Recipe
75% Corn
16% Rye
9% is unaccounted for. Educated guess is the above represent the averages between the various bourbons chosen for this blend.
Appearance:
Copper almost auburn with quick medium width legs.
Nose:
I wasn’t positive what to expect with the nose. What rose from the glass, to me, was stewed red fruits, maple syrup, citrus almost a key lime, with a flaky pie crust. Overall very nice and the corn melded well with the Armagnac.
Palate:
There is a noticable transition between the nose to the glass. I first found grass, corn, and a nice punchy fruity blend right out of the gate. It evolved to brandied fruits and cherries, baking spices, prunes and just a passing flash of pipe smoke (fruity but thick). There was a big note throughout of alcohol but it wasn’t rubbing alcohol or vodka.
Finish:
Oily mouth feel with a nice long finish. Holds mostly to the roof of my mouth and sides. There is a dried and almost salty fruit finish with pops of plum and grape. It is a dark sweetness like a fruit leather that holds at the end.
Comments:
This whole venture is very interesting to me, mostly because I love risk takers. The whiskey is young and it shows, the Armagnac is old at it shows. We have a battle occurring between conventionally different drinks. In this particular instance, I don’t think the two played too nicely together. The Armagnac influence helped temper the younger high corn whiskey but youthful exuberance showed out. Additionally the two climates (Tennessee and Minnesota) have very different climates throughout much of the year causing a bit of a clash in the bourbon itself. I think the Armagnac needed a bit more of a subtle whiskey, something with more even age and uniformity to really show off the best parts of the classical French distillate.

Overall it is fun to explore and poke around in. I’d share this with friends who want to see what’s new in the world of whiskey, and to show off someone taking a chance. I’m excited generally because this is a 3-part series and each one is trying to show off a new angle of the combination. High Rye and High Islay are the other two available in this group. They all promise to show off unique styling and as a package for under $200 it makes a great gift or whiskey night among friends.

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.

Charles Steele

Charles Steele, a Portland-based attorney, is a native of the Pacific Northwest. His legal background provides him with an analytical approach to understanding whiskey and other aged spirits. Primarily a legal writer, freelancing for The Whiskey Wash offers Charles a unique opportunity to showcase his versatility as a writer. Although his preference lies with whiskey and whiskey-based cocktails, he has a profound appreciation for all unique and unconventional liquors, from Malört to Ojen - if it's peculiar, he's intrigued.

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