Initial Thoughts
Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey is the 4th spirit in my October/November pairing series. As with most of the other Prichard’s line, I had the whiskey at a local liquor store tasting. I instantly became a huge fan and I couldn’t wait to buy another bottle of it. Actually I enjoyed it so much that I convinced my buddy to buy a bottle when he came to visit just so I could have some more on my own. It may sound sleazy, but I knew he’d loved it, and he did, so I consider it doing a favor for him.
Looks
When it comes to looks, I think that this Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey is the best looking bottle in the line. I’m not sure what that’s all about, but I love the black label with the gold. It looks similar to the color scheme used by Johnnie Walker for their black label. The gold writing on the label with the addition of the traditional Prichard’s gold band around the top of the bottle make this a great combination.
The shape of the bottle is the exact same as the Double Barreled bourbon. As I said in that review, I’m a big fan of this bottle design. Easy to hold onto, easy to store, just a great functional design.
Now lets talk about what’s inside. Mmm, this Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey is such a beautiful deep amber color. I just sat down looking at the bottle to marvel at how amazing it looked. I’m always intrigued at how beautiful bourbon / whiskey looks when the glass refracts the colors.
Classy, traditional, beautiful, it looks great, but lets see if it can hold its weight taste wise.
Reviewed Neat
Because this Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey is only 40% ABV I’m just going to review it neat, and not on the rocks. I don’t want to cut it too much. I may cut it some when I have it with a cigar, but for this review I poured about 2 fingers of the whiskey neat.
Nose
I’m just going to come right out and say it. This Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey has an incredible nose on it. It may be my favorite that I’ve ever smelled before. There is so much going on, and everything just blends together. It makes my nose do a little happy dance. First off you get a very sweet vanilla note. To me it was the dominate note, followed by a hint of charcoal and molasses. All finished off with a sweet aroma of honey, butterscotch and toffee. I was blown away, so much sweetness and warmth coming from the nose.
All I wanted to do was take a big ole swig and see what it tasted like. I knew I had a greater responsibility. I had to take notes on the aroma to be able to tell you all. Then I would be allowed to take that giant swig, and that’s exactly what I did next!
Palate
If I could describe this in one word it would be smooth. Oh boy was it smooth, with a nice little spice kick at the end. This Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey really hit the spot. I picked up that smooth charcoal flavor that is characteristic of Tennessee Whiskey. Slightly smokey flavor, with a hit of buttery deliciousness. There was a little bit of that traditional ‘heat’ from this whiskey which you know I’m a fan. Mmm, all I can say is how smooth this is.
Finish
Talk about a great finish, again, the word smooth is repeated over and over. This whiskey has a nice medium length finish, it lingers for a bit and then disappears. A tiny bit of heat hangs around just to keep you warm and then disappears with a bit of spice that loiters. My mouth doesn’t salivate as much as I assumed it would. I love the finish on this Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey it makes for such a great all around whiskey.
Conclusion:
Prichard’s Tennessee Whiskey: 10/10
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I’m a huge fan of this whiskey. Everything about it was incredible. I love the nose, palate, and finish on it. The price point is what makes it even more enticing. At $30 I would jump at this every time. I’m sure this would go great mixed with Coke, but I prefer to enjoy it neat and really dig into all the complexities it has to offer. So do yourself a favor and go out and find a bottle of this today, trust me, you won’t be let down!
