June 25, 2024
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Last weekend, Wayne and I were headed to our annual family reunion at Lynnhurst Family Resort in Murray, KY, and the route took us through Hopkinsville, KY. If you know the Bourbon Trail, that means that Casey Jones Distillery was on the way. We couldn’t resist stopping by for a quick visit.
We didn’t even get to the front door, and we were warmly welcomed and thanked for visiting. We chatted about what might be new, what they were working on, and sought suggestions. We decided that we would do their next scheduled tasting. While waiting for the tasting to begin, we each enjoyed a cocktail in their bar area.
At Casey Jones, the tasting includes 10 small samples for $10. The challenge is that there are usually about 15 items available. The tasting leader describes what is being poured, and you decide if that will be one of your 10 samples. We enjoyed our choices, and the next challenge was determining what to purchase. We settled on a few new options as well as some favorites to replenish.
Selected for this Tasting
We selected the Casey Jones Barrel Cuts. Casey Jones Single Barrel Cut (white label) at 102.6 Proof and Casey Jones Double Barrel Cut (blue label) at 103.9 proof. Each was made using the Casey Jones’ Prohibition-era moonshine recipe of 50% Yellow Corn and 50% Cane Sugar. In addition, they were produced on the Authentic Square Pot Still. They were then finished in new, toasted #4 char wood-fired barrels. The double barrel (blue label) was then finished in their used bourbon barrels.
Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
Casey Jones Single Barrel Cut
Mashbill – 50% Yellow Corn and 50% Cane Sugar
Age – NAS, Up to 4 years.
Proof – 103.9
Price Paid – $58.29
Appearance – Copper with great legs.
Aroma – Butter, almost butterscotch, brown sugar, a hint of spice, and a bit of that #4 char coming forward. Sweet and inviting.
Tasted Neat – Surprisingly, not as sweet on the palate as it was on the nose. It has a great mouthfeel, very soft and smooth. It starts out as butterscotch then there is a long and warm finish of cinnamon.
Tasted with dried cranberry – The cran emphasized the butter and lightened the finish. The cinnamon is now a much lighter baking spice, perhaps more of a nutmeg.
Tasted with a pecan – The pecan truly took over and added a very woody note. The finish really lingers with a soft and warm baking spice.
Tasted with dark chocolate – Fascinating! There is usually a creaminess with the dark chocolate but not with this. In fact, the sweetness is gone and it is much spicier with a strong cinnamon finish.
Casey Jones Double Barrel Cut
Mashbill – 50% Yellow Corn and 50% Cane Sugar
Age – NAS, Up to 4 years.
Proof – 103.9
Price Paid – $58.29
Appearance –
Copper with great legs
Aroma – Cocoa and honey with a light nuttiness. Very nice.
Tasted Neat – Very chocolate forward with a hint of cherry. The finish is light and tingling such as a pepper. Quite surprising and wonderful.
Tasted with dried cranberry – This brought the cherry forward but in a spicy way. The nuttiness is gone and so is the chocolate on the front. Instead, it finishes like a chocolate cherry cordial. Very interesting that the cranberry moved the spice more to the front.
Tasted with a pecan – Very pecan forward and with added notes of the barrel. The chocolate and cherry seems to have vanished and it seems like a totally different sip.
Tasted with dark chocolate – This helped bring the chocolate and cherry forward and the finish is very gentle now, it’s warm and lingering not truly spicy.
Discussion and Final Notes
The first one (white label) is so amazing on the nose. That buttery sweetness is so warm and inviting. The second one (blue label) has the fantastic chocolate and cherry nose. They are each terrific but if we could only smell one, we might have to go with the white label.
Similarly, each has a wonderful taste! Again, the white label is like buttered toffee but the blue label has chocolate, cherry and cinnamon. If we had to chose, we would go with the blue label on taste due to its added complexity.
Overall, we would have to make it a truly split decision. Each is terrific and a great addition to a collection. We highly recommend Casey Jones Distillery, which is just outside of Hopkinsville, KY. The Master Distiller is normally there and happy to answer questions, sign bottles, and visit. They often have food trucks on the weekend and cocktails are available in their bar. We have always had great experiences with all of their staff.
Cheers,
Rebecca & Wayne
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
NOTE: The spirits in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producers for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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