J. Riddle Peated Bourbon is a 750 mL bourbon bottled at 46% ABV. Produced by Two James in Corktown, Detroit, the first licensed distillery in the city since Prohibition, it uses a mash bill of 79% Michigan corn and 21% Scottish barley. The whiskey is aged in 53-gallon new American oak barrels.
Sweet corn, apples, honey, and nuts step forward on the palate, which is a bit hot, along with black pepper, cinnamon, dark chocolate, and oak. The finish is enjoyable ashiness—the end of a cigar.
Look for cedar and peat smoke aromas and a drying, slightly savory flavor profile: maple, mesquite smoke, cinnamon bark and clove. A splash of water brings out beer-y touches of hops and grapefruit peel.
