Trader Joe's Bourbon?!?

TRADER JOE’S Straight KENTUCKY BOURBON Whiskey

My boss brought this back from a recent trip to California, so I promised him I’d give it the ole write-up.  I’ve tried Trader Joe’s 18-year Speyside Single malt before, and found that likewise to be a product of surprising quality.  This is a more than decent little bourbon, one to which our fair southern neighbors should be glad to have access. Trader Joe’s excel in offering values like this.

N:  light nose of cinnamon, banana peel, and clove; cherry flesh and supple, salty leather

P:  Spicy, peppery, and lean, but with good breadth.  Medium-long, with a smoky, herbal finish not dissimilar to Tennessee whiskey.

This well-knit, characterful bourbon whiskey, presumably bought in bulk by Trader Joe’s, was distilled in Louisville by Bourbon Square Distilling Co.  Of indeterminate age, it’s a nicely-balanced product that falls somewhere between Makers Mark and Bulleit in terms of quality and flavor.