By Richard Thomas
Rating: B-
(Credit: Richard Thomas)
The new First West line from 15 Stars has three bourbons, with the Toasted Oak Finish positioned as the middle expression, between the normal bourbon (the Small Batch) and the “extra aged” eight year old. The company started in a well-tested fashion, releasing older whiskeys sourced through Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana. In a sense, the First West line represents a transition point, because the trio are partly based on the contract production the company began with Bardstown Bourbon Company several years ago.
First West Toasted Oak Finish is a blend of 5, 6 and 7 year old bourbon. The 6 year old bourbon is stated to be a different whiskey than the 6 year old used in Small Batch, while the other two are the same as in Small Batch. After the blend was married, it was then divided into two and given a five-week finish in separate, distinct lots of toasted oak barrels. Then those two lots are blended back together. The resulting bourbon is bottled at 98 proof.
The Bourbon
The mid-amber colored pour led its nose with mulled wine (fruity, but spicy) and caramel, wrapped around a dowel of dry oak. Sipping gave me a jumble of traditional bourbon candy corn and caramel, a touch of butterscotch, and a handful of dried cherries and cranberries, with a current of dry, spicy oak running through the middle. The finish ran earthy and spicy.
This one was both the first 15 Stars release I’ve had that left me underwhelmed, as well as the uncommon double new oak whiskey that did the same. It’s not a bad whiskey and has good elements. But even after returning to it for a second time, I found those elements came together as something of a tangle rather than layered. First West Toasted Oak struck me as being like a play where I was left wondering if the director was a novice or if too many understudies had to be called onto stage due to some backstage crisis.
The Price
Expect to pay $70 for a fifth bottle of First West Toasted Oak Finish Bourbon.
