Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Project is taking us back to its tried and true origins in the world of bourbon. Curiously, this 17 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon is the first North American spirit in the entirety of the Orphan Barrel Project not to be chill-filtered. During a one-on-one tasting with Diageo Master Blender Delicia “Dee” James, we talked through the origins of the whiskey — or at least everything James is allowed to talk about.
It’s a blend of old barrels from two Kentucky distilleries with a minimum age of 17 years each. The individual mashbills have not been disclosed and the derived mashbill is oddly presented as a range: 68-74% corn, 18-22% rye, and 8-10% malted barley, with the finished product landing somewhere in that midst. James, who also works on the Dickel and Bulleit brands and previously blended the Orphan Barrel Scarlet Shade and Indigo’s Hour releases, adds that the lack of chill filtration on this release was designed to improve the mouthfeel of the product and help you “get that ah-ha effect.” Most importantly, James says Fanged Pursuit, like all her whiskeys, is “made with love.”
Let’s dig in and see if James’s latest still has those fangs intact.
The nose exudes tradition and austerity — at 17 years it’s decidedly well-aged, and it shows. Up-front elements of cherry and vanilla are complemented by some very dark, almost pruny fruit, but it’s the more barrel-driven aromas that soon come to dominate. The char is heavy, almost aggressive, melding toasted marshmallows with a menthol character, though this latter element blows off in time, leaving behind elements of burnt sugar and hazelnuts.
The palate has a significant initial bite to it, even at 46% abv, those menthol notes a lot harder to shake this time around. A sustained barrel char quality adds a distinct leatheriness to the whiskey, though it is eventually chased off by ample dark chocolate and vanilla notes — eventually moving toward butterscotch. Nevertheless it is surprisingly savory as it develops, with more of a fresh mint note on the finish and a lingering note of furniture polish, a clear sign of this whiskey’s advanced age.
Altogether quite a different whiskey than expected, even for the often out-there Orphan Barrel Project, but a worthwhile example of how a more savory bourbon can work pretty well.
92 proof.
B+ / $200 / orphanbarrel.com
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