John B. Stetson Bourbon: Whisk(e)y Wednesday presented by Calandro's Supermarket

John B. Stetson Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Whisk(e)y Wednesday returns to one of my favorite subjects this week: bourbon.  The John B. Stetson Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey got some mixed reviews from our panel.  While the score averaged out to an acceptable 72.5, it had scores significantly higher and lower than that.  I guess that much should be expected from a company most notably known for cowboy hats.  The whiskey is a four year old Kentucky bourbon though its source is a secret.  It is private labeled for Stetson, which is far more common than you might think.  The nose is pure sweet corn goodness.  It is very typical of a newer bourbon.  On taste the barrel comes through with some spice and a nice heat that comes across as prickly on the tongue.  It finishes neat and smooth with hints of vanilla and caramel with a slight lingering burn that is rather lovely.  Stetson is not currently available in Louisiana, but I'm sure that's just a matter of time.

John B. Stetson Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Average Score 72.5

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.