We have a special dual review today, Total Beverage and Total Beverage Westminster Private Select Maker’s Mark Single Barrels.
These barrels were selected by the staff at each store, but in a more unique way than most single barrel selections. A small group from each store went out to Kentucky, and sampled whiskey that was aged with a particular stave. The stave selection included Baked American Pure 2, Seared French Cuvée, Maker’s 46, Roasted French Mocha, and Toasted French Spice. After samples that were aged in each stave, they selected a total of 10 staves to put into their barrel to age for an additional 3 months.
Westminster Total Beverage’s stave selection included 2 Baked American Pure 2 Staves, 5 Seared French Cuvée, and 3 Roasted French Mocha Staves.
Thornton Total Beverage’s stave selection included 3 Seared French Cuvée, 2 Maker’s 46, and 5 Roasted French Mocha staves.
From here down, we will separate the two barrels as W for the Westminster Select and T for the Thornton Select.
Color:
W: Auburn, amber and caramel colors.
T: Very similar colors, amber, caramel, but this barrel is a bit darker.
Nose:
W: Apple and citrus notes come through, orange and lemon zest. This is a bright nose.
T: A lot darker, molasses, caramel, charred oak, and burnt marshmallow notes come through.
Palate:
W: Apple crisp and lemon up front, lots of bright citrus, orange and lemon. The palate is tart, but enjoyable, although finishing before ever getting the back of the palate. The end of the mid section does show off a bit of oak and even slight hints of cinnamon.
T: Almost entirely contrary to it’s counterpart, the Thornton barrel does not have a large front of the palate presence, but it quickly grows on the mid palate and coats your palate with malty, roasted chocolate notes, a creamy mouth feel and a long, lingering finish that makes you feel warm.
As always we added a couple drops of water, and re-tasted both.
Nose with Water:
W: More apple and other fruit notes, some vanilla comes through and a bit more oak. The citrus notes are still big and apparent.
T: The nose on the Thornton barrel didn’t change much with the water, instead holding up to it very well. Maybe a little bit more of brown sugar/molasses.
Palate with Water:
W: A lot more citrus and fruit, orange and lemon with apple. There is also a bit more charred oak, but still disappears right after the mid palate.
T: The front of the palate starts off buttery, and quickly moves into the same mid big mid palate. The finish opens up a little bit more with some dark and roasted flavors, but it does not linger near as long. The sip is better without the water added for the Thornton barrel.
Ratings:
Westminster:
A: 84/100
Z: 89/100
Overall: 87/100
Thornton:
A: 84/100
Z: 89/100
O: 87/100
The best way to describe this pair of bottles is Summer and Winter. Westminster’s barrel is summer, bright and citrus notes, perfect for a warm afternoon. Thornton’s barrel is winter, dark and roasted, full of chocolate and malt, and a thick, creamy mouth feel. It is quite interesting how just a different selection of staves create such a different and contrasting pair of bourbons.
As a side note, at Angela’s suggestion, we decided to blend the two samples together. The citrus and apple start off the front, that moves into the creamy, coating, and malted flavors of chocolate with the oak and lingering finish. The two blended bourbons seem to take the best of both barrels and combine them into quite the enjoyable blend.
