Memphis, Tennessee's oldest licensed distillery, Blue Note Bourbon, released its second annual Special Reserve bottle in February. The blend - featuring casks from both Kentucky and Tennessee - has been finished in 10 different barrels, which would seem to create a cacophony of tasting notes, but instead takes the palate on a quite pleasurable journey.
The ages of the distillate range from four to nineteen years and have been finished in Cognac, Madeira, Sherry, Port, Triple Sec, Apricot Brandy, Amontillado, Vanilla Cognac, and Vino de Naranja casks.
The majority of the blend (18 percent) is six-year-old Kentucky distillate finished in a Madeira cask, while the smallest portion of the blend (3 percent) is a five-year-old Kentucky distillate finished in a Madeira cask. The entire breakdown can be seen below.
“Having launched several wildly successful limited releases in recent years, whiskey enthusiasts have come to expect these types of unique offerings from Blue Note,” said Chris Crosbie, Vice President, Sales, B.R. Distilling Company, via a press release. “This year’s Special Reserve is both exceptional and uncommon having been crafted from 10 unique types of casks.”
For a blend this complex to be successful, great care must be taken to be sure that no elements become overpowering, and - much like a great jazz composition - every distinct part of the blend becomes a key component to the beauty of the finished product.
It would seem Blue Note not only succeeded, but exceeded all expectations in this regard.
Blue Note 2025 Special Reserve Bourbon Description
Mash bill: Blended (see image above)
ABV: 58.18 %
Color: Deep chestnut
Age: Blended (see image above)
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Private Barrels Available: NA
MSRP: $225.00
Blue Note 2025 Special Reserve Bourbon Tasting Notes
Nose: If winter were a smell, it would waft from a dram of this bourbon. A strong presence of barrel char, malted cocoa, pepper, anise, and some light citrus notes dance around and start to warm your palate before the first drop hits your mouth. I dove a little deeper into the glen and picked up a distinct leather note, one of my favorites in a higher proof bourbon. A pour like this can be sniffed forever, with new notes constantly jumping out.
Palate: The palate is not as distinctly dark as the nose, but is equally as appealing, with grape, citrus, and cherry notes coming to the forefront, followed by cocoa and nuts lazily resting in the mid-palate. The chocolate is a little more bitter than the malty smell, but mixed with the dark fruits it's a zesty taste without being offensive. Overall, the palate has a creamy but not oily mouthfeel.
There's enough aged distillate in this blend to mask some of the younger elements, so you don't get that thin, ethanol and butterscotch note that can be so common in young whiskey.
Finish: The finish of this pour may actually be the highlight. After so many different notes finding their way through the dram, the finish is straight on vanilla bean and burt caramel, as if the deepest heart of the bourbon was just waiting to carry this pour home. It's long and warm.
Conclusions: This is simply a masterful blend. Kudos to Blue Note for being bold enough to try, and talented enough to pull it off. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this bottle, outside of the high MSRP. While that may seem a deterrent, it's obvious that this is a special bottle (only 2000 total released) that makes paying a little more well worth it.