The first time I visited Sourland Mountain Spirits in March of 2017 was the second weekend that they were open. I had been to a few distilleries at that point, and could immediately tell that owner Ray Disch was one of the ones doing things right.
Over the next year, I returned a couple of times for new product releases, or just to visit because I was in the area. On more than one occasion, we had discussed their desire to produce a Bourbon when the time was right.
During that time, I had also been researching “barrel programs”. As you may know, many larger distilleries will sell an entire barrel of whiskey (or whisky). Mostly these are bought by restaurants or liquor stores, but they will sell to individuals as well.
Unfortunately, 53 gallons was a little more than my needs, storage space, or budget could handle. Luckily, some craft distilleries had smaller programs, ranging from a 6 bottle “share” to a full 5 gallon barrel.
I was considering a few different programs when in March of 2018, a year after my first visit, Sourland announced their program. They would be distilling and aging Bourbon for the first time, and were looking for investors to purchase 5, 15 or 30 gallon barrels. It was only fitting that I signed the contract and handed Ray a check on St. Patrick’s Day, 2018.
As part of barrel ownership, I am entitled to visit every 6 months to check on the progress of the Bourbon. I first sampled it at a little over 6 months of age. My immediate impression was that they had found a very nice mash bill. Even in a young whiskey, the balance of corn sweetness and rye spice was very well achieved. The sample was taking on some very pleasant wood notes, and was a nice sippable whiskey.
Yesterday, I had my second tasting. Ray, in his wisdom, had kept some of the six month sample for a side by side comparison. The color was noticeably deeper, and it was interesting to see how the flavors from the wood were progressing. By the time this is ready for bottling at 2 years, it promises to be a very good expression.
