Sipp’n Corn Bourbon Review – David Nicholson Reserve

I had never really heard much about the David Nicholson brand before, other than having the dim recollection of it being sourced from Stitzel-Weller back in the day.  I received a bottle for review back in August as part of a brand refresh over the summer, and while intrigued, I hadn’t posted in a couple of months and had a backup of reviews to do, so I had to wait.  Then this fall, I had the 10-year, 100 proof brand extension of Rebel Yell, and my interest in Luxco wheated Bourbon shot through the roof.  I had to see if the updated David Nicholson was as impressive.

When I checked my bottle though, I had received “David Nicholson Reserve,” which uses rye as the secondary grain, instead of “David Nicholson 1843,” which is the wheated version that I had in mind.  But like the new Rebel Yell, it is bottled at 100 proof, and it is “extra aged.”  You can expect to pay $5 – $10 more for Reserve compared to 1843.

Bourbon:	David Nicholson Reserve Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distillery:	Undisclosed (possibly Heaven Hill)
Age:	NAS
ABV:	50% (100 proof)
Suggested Retail:	$34.99-39.99

Disclaimer: The brand managers kindly sent me a sample

for this review, without any strings attached. 

Thank you.

Tasting Notes

Appearance:

Brown side of amber with nice legs.

Nose:

The aromas are pleasant with leather and char, balanced with a little black pepper, but more sweetness like cinnamon apples and brown sugar, in addition to the standard caramel and vanilla.

Taste:

There is much more age in the backbone of this Bourbon than I expected.  After brown sugar sweetness and creamy nuttiness, oak, rye grain, pepper, and earthy flavors take hold.  Mellowing with a splash of water gives way to more sweetness, especially toffee and cocoa.

Finish:

Oak and spice carry the medium-length finish too.  Although it leans toward being an overall dry finish, dark berries and toffee balance out the oak and earthiness very nicely.

Bottom Line

This is a solid Bourbon.  With the age shown in David Nicholson Reserve and Rebel Yell 10-year, it’s nice to see that Luxco had the foresight to be able to increase ages in the midst of the current Bourbon craze.  Options in this price range are getting a little crowded, but David Nicholson Reserve should be able to push its way in with this kind of quality.

Score on The Sipp’n Corn Scale:  4.0

The Sipp’n Corn Scale:

1 – Swill.  I might dump the bottle, but will probably save it for my guests who mix with Coke.

2 – Hits the minimum criteria, but given a choice, I’d rather have something else.

3 – Solid Bourbon with only minor shortcomings.  Glad to own and enjoy.

4 – Excellent Bourbon.  Need to be hyper-critical to find flaws.  I’m lucky to have this.

5 – Bourbon perfection.  I’ll search high and low to get another bottle of this.