Blue Note 9 Year
Spirit: Small Batch Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery: B.R. Distilling Company
Aged: 9 Years
Price: $50
Proof: 93
About Blue Note Distillery:
“Our bourbon barrels are cooked low and slow like Memphis barbecue as they age near the banks of the Mississippi River. The deep Delta heat and humidity forge an unforgettable rich flavor resulting in a full-bodied bourbon with bold notes of caramel, oak, vanilla, and spice that lingers on the palate. At 93 proof, Blue Note Bourbon is not chill-filtered, resulting in a rich, savory mouthfeel.”
About Blue Note 9 Year:
“Bottled in very small batches, this minimum aged 9yr Straight Bourbon is unique in every way. A proprietary TN Bourbon made by maturing two unique mash bills that have independently aged in 53-gallon barrels and combined at bottling for an unfiltered, rich sipping experience.”
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Nose
(4)
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Palate
(4)
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Proof vs. Heat
(4.5)
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Value
(4.5)
Notes & Review
Nose: Clean, medium, nose. Deep notes of caramel and red-licorice candy dominate the beginning of the nose. There’s a nice cinnamon, baking spice, and cocoa undertone before a tangy vanilla bean closes off the nose.
Palate: Off-dry, mouthfilling, medium palate. Juicy date, butterscotch, caramel cream, and red licorice are on the beginning of the palate. There’s a nice dry spiced oak that pairs nicely with undertones of cocoa, roasted peanut, and marzipan.
Finish: Medium finish with notes of red hots, spiced oak, barrel char, and burnt caramel.
Review: Blue Note is one of those brands that seemingly came out of nowhere and now everyone is talking bout them. Some of those kinds of bottles are pure hype, some of them play into the “allocation game” where people simply seek them out because of low production or affiliation with a distillery like MGP, and some of them are just actually a good value.
Blue Note 9 Year seems to be the latter of those.
At around $50 a bottle, it sits on the mid-shelf amongst its peers but does something to differentiate itself from the pack.
It pulls heavily into a sweeter and earthier profile, which I enjoy. It allows oak to shine through, but not dominate the palate for something that’s sat in a barrel for a substantial amount of time. I really enjoy the candy-like sweetness of this bourbon as it balances out some of the bolder earthy profiles found in the dram. I think sometimes a drastic contrast of notes makes something a heck of a lot more interesting to the palate when many whiskeys just rely on a classic blend of more muted notes.
The pour itself is smooth at 93. It carries the flavor of a mid-90-proof expression but drinks a lot smoother. Maybe something along the mid-80s. In my book, the smoothness paired with some bolder flavors and a nice and viscous oily mouthfeel make this a value bottle if you can find one around MSRP.
Greg Sinadinos started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.
Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.
