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We love history. Humans, I mean. We like it. There are books, films, plays, works of art, and entire colleges dedicated to studying it and sharing it with humanity. Such love extends back to ancient times, with cultures telling the stories of their history, such as in the Iliad and the Odyssey. One of the reasons we do this is because history gives us the chance to see the whole story of a person. We don’t know how we will die or what will happen to us tomorrow, but for historical figures, we can see the full arc of their lives. It’s scary, inspiring, joyful, saddening, all because we see ourselves reflected in the experiences of others, wondering if our story will be the same.
The history of the bourbon industry is no exception, with perhaps a little less gravity than the Greek poems. Today I want to talk about Mary Dowling, the “Mother of Bourbon”. “Long obscured by the mists of time, Mary Dowling’s story is one of the most inspiring and compelling in the history of whiskey making,” said Kaveh Zamanian, founder of Rabbit Hole Distillery and co-founder of the new company: Mary Dowling Whiskey Company.
Born in 1959 in Bourbon County,he is from Kentucky married into whiskey, her husband being a cooper (cask maker) and established distiller. By the mid-1880s, she and her husband owned three distilleries. Family businesses thrived until 1920, when Prohibition hit. Dowling turned to smuggling, which eventually led to criminal charges and then a conviction of her family members. It changed direction and moved its entire distilling business to Juarez, Mexico, which survived until the 1970salthough Dowling died in 1930, just before Prohibition ended.
The Mary Dowling brand, in Augustreleased the first two whiskeys in its range: the Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oak Barrel and the Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel, both of which I would describe as “experimental” whiskeys, one being a finished bourbon and the other using two separate toasted oak barrels to age the product. According to Mr. Zamanian, “We wanted to create a whiskey to honor its extraordinary character, celebrate its heritage and its iconic distillery, Waterfill & Frazier. We’re thrilled to finally share two original expressions, meant to be savored while toasting the unstoppable spirit of Mary Dowling.
I was extremely excited to try Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oak Barrel Bourbon. As a big fan of heavily oaked bourbons (Woodford Reserve Double Oak and Elijah Craig 18 are two of my favorites), the combination of two oak barrels And the toasted barrels will further enhance the woody notes.
Toasting a barrel is different from charring it – think of toasting a marshmallow rather than lighting it on fire, like a barrel can be. both grilled and charred. The mesh allows deeper penetration into the wood and introduces flavors vanilla, coconut, nutmeg and caramel.
For this expression, the creators chose to age the bourbon in two toasted and charred barrels, the first with thick toast and Char #3 for darker, richer flavors, the latter being light toast and Char #1 for milder creamy flavors. Although the spirit does not have an age statement, as it is titled “straight bourbon whiskey,” you can rest assured that it is a straight bourbon whiskey. a minimum 4 years old.
We review the Mary Dowling Toasted Double Oak Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a wheat mash bourbon that has been aged in two toasted American oak barrels. (image via Jeffrey Nitschke/The Whiskey Wash)
Tasting notes: Mary Dowling Double Oak Toasted Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Vital Statistics: No age declaration (NAS); wheat mash bill; aged in two toasted American oak barrels; 107 proof (53.5% ABV); $130/750 ml
Appearance: Sunset and cognac orange.
Nose: Heavy nutmeg, cloves and wildflower honey swirl in a Spanish cedar humidor.
Palace: Smooth dark cherries, milk chocolate and roasted chestnuts start the drama. A delicate cinnamon dusting and a roaring barbecue honey glaze fill the palate, finishing with ground coffee beans and a tingle of cayenne.
