Hudson Whiskey NY Baby Bourbon, 35 cl

Product Information

Ownership changes came when Tuthilltown Distillery (the name of the distillery that makes Hudson products) was bought out by Scottish distilling giant William Grant & Sons in the spring of 2017. WG&S saw the potential in having an American Distillery in their portfolio and saw that Hudson Distilling had a lot of room to grow. Nose: Sweet creamed corn scents butt up against youthful notes like green wood, sharp cinnamon and lots of botanical scents. The rest of the nose has pretty standard traits of caramel sauce and some light vanilla. Out in New Jersey, Sourland Mountain Distillery is bringing the farm experience to their distillery — the place is a working farm. The grain-to-glass distillery is all about offering something local and refined, albeit young. Their bourbon is aged for one year in new American oak, meaning it’s a prime candidate to test right now to see where this distillery will go. The spirit is smooth and delicious with a medium weight, not too viscous and not too thin either. Right on the nose for a 46% ABV spirit. There’s a bit of alcohol burn on the finish that lingers for a while, but it’s not significant or unpleasant. This corn whiskey has personality, even though it isn’t quite ready yet. The producers of this American bourbon have done things their way, uncompromising yet experimenting. Writing their story in a unique and interesting way.

Previously they had been using barrels as small as 3 gallons but now they were able to switch to the 53-gallon variety. The underlying message of the switch was meant to signal that they intended to age their products for much longer now. Color & Consistency: Honey with medium legs and pretty close to the consistency of fresh motor oil. Finish: After the sip is complete, my mouth starts to dry out leaving behind more harsh, young, green wood notes. The sweetness has now completely evaporated and I find myself wanting to stop drinking this after only a couple of tastes. Score: 2/10

Hudson Baby Bourbon Mash Bill

Normally a modern bourbon is some mixture of corn and other ingredients. In this case, Tuthilltown Spirits makes their Baby Bourbon from 100% local New York grown corn. Opening mine up revealed a hat, t-shirt, canvas bag, enameled shaker, brass bottle opener and two bottles of their whiskey. The box felt like opening up a new pair of shoes and was very impressive to receive. If I could award their marketing team a gold star, I would.

Reservoir Distillery’s Hunter & Scott Bourbon is a shining example of the distillery’s craft and style. Their main line is renowned for a grain-to-glass experience of local Virginia crops (all sourced less than 40 miles from the distillery) and having 100-percent mash bills for the wheat, rye, and bourbon whiskeys. This expression is the best of all worlds and blends the wheat, rye, and bourbon into one bottle — each aged one-and-a-half to two years.Seriously, we’re not making any of this up. The process and science produce exact results every single time. No angel’s share. No opening up barrels to taste year after year, hoping they pop. Lix, of course, has won a slew of awards from both the engineering community and for his whiskeys. The new variant names reflect New York attitude and embrace the kind of characters, places and moments that only exist in New York.”

Hudson Baby Bourbon is a craft bourbon made by Hudson Whiskey, a New York-based distillery. The company was founded in 2010 by Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee, who are also behind the successful Tuthilltown Spirits distillery. Hudson Baby Bourbon is made with a mash bill of 60% corn, 30% rye, and 10% malted barley. The whiskey is aged for at least nine months in new, charred oak barrels. Despite the fact that the barrels have not yet been aged, they are still new charred oak barrels that have been reduced in size so that the wood to liquid ratio is higher. This improves the wood component of the whiskey, even at its very early stages. Bourbon is then aged for about 3 months before being bottled and sent to us for enjoyment.Baby Bourbon has won Gold Outstanding Medal at International Wine & Spirits Competition 2013. It is an exciting dram. Fresh and lively one. Still a draft of an whiskey on the palate but the aromas are quite good. Definitely a conversation starter because of its uniqueness. Nose: Wow, this smells young. The raw, grainy note is reminiscent of other distillery’s White Dog (unaged spirit). The “breadiness” of the nose gives way to astringent, green notes. Palate: More of the same from the nose. The flavors are young and grainy with a sharp sting of ethanol and artificial sweetener. The notes are harsh and astringent, reminding me of acne cleaners from my teenage years. There are fruits here, but they’re mainly unripe apples. There’s little sweetness overall. I also find an acidic note like coffee grounds as well. That was a taste that confused me. Some craft distilleries realize it themselves and end up abandoning their old methods for new ones once they reach a spot where they can adjust without completely going underwater. That usually comes with a rebrand/reboot much like what Hudson has done here. It’s a deep and rich flavor that’s delicious and enjoyable. Something you could sip all afternoon and late into the night. On Ice