Jefferson's Presidential Select 21: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

The Whisk(e)y Wednesday leaderboard (on the column to the right) is currently capped at the top with the Jefferson's Presidential Select 18.  Recently we had the opportunity to try the newest release in the Presidential Select line, the 21 year.  A different bourbon all together, this whiskey is a blend of 21 and 22 year old barrels that create a smooth and intoxicatingly good product.  The scent made my nose hairs perk up with aromas of vanilla and caramel.  The taste is like an infused butter with syrup and hint of cayenne for a kick.  It is sweet butter upfront with a kick on the back end that is aggressive though pleasant.  Smooth, then "Kapow" and "Bam" like out of a Batman cartoon.  It has cinnamon, spice, and everything nice.  The bourbon is very complex and the age is noticeable, but I didn't find it to be in balance like the 17 and 18 year versions of the Presidential Select.  Still, it scored quite well with our judges and with a 82.75, it'll be on the leaderboard for quite some time!

Jefferson's Presidential Select 21 

Average Score 82.75

Whisk(e)y Wednesday is a blog post series on Bite and Booze sponsored by Calandro's Supermarket. Calandro's has one of Baton Rouge's best selections of bourbon, Scotch, and other whisk(e)ys as well as wine and craft beer. This WW feature was scored by Eric Ducote, Brenton Day, and Charles Pierce. Scores are marked for Nose, Taste, Finish, and Balance and Complexity using our own proprietary scoring system. Marks are then added and averaged, leaving us with a final score out of a 100 point scale. Our scale should be looked at on the full range of 0-100 rather than an academic range where 70 is passing and anything less is failing. A 50 should be considered a very mediocre whisk(e)y while anything below 20 is absolute horse piss and anything above 90 is rather extraordinary.