I stumbled upon Hoppy Endings via Facebook when they were offering a barrel pick of Widow Jane 12 year. Two things: First, I had never heard of Widow Jane but I had just gotten back from my trip to the Bourbon Trail, so I wanted ANYTHING that wasn’t available in my local, corrup…well, government controlled liquor store. Second, turns out one of the biggest collections of bourbon in the city is only a few miles from my house at Hoppy Endings. If you are ever in Raleigh, it is a MUST stop for your bourbon needs. This was a win-win for me, so I jumped at the chance. Turns out, it was a win on both accounts. A quick note: this bottle has been open for a few months, so if you get WJ 12 year, when you crack it YMMV. Also, this is an MGP sourced distillate.
The nose comes across with butterscotch coming in hard. I also pick up some subtle vanilla and cherry in the nose as well. The nose is very nicely layered, but the with the butterscotch coming in so heavy, really takes some “digging” to pick up the other scents. This isn’t necessarily bad, but for those that look for a much more complex nose, you may be disappointed. I wasn’t by any means and loved the nose.
Often, when you take a first sip and “do the chew” you get blasted with flavors that disappear with future sips. This is definitely not the case with with this one. Heavy spice on the first sip, much more than I expected out of this 99 proofer. After swallowing, initially presented with heavy oak, but actually dissipates fairly quickly with that spiciness translating over to cinnamon candy. I was surprised at how quickly the oak transitioned out given that sometimes with the 12-14 year range, new distilleries sometimes allow their product to get over-oaked. Not the case in any way, shape, or form here. Moving forward, the next sips enhanced that sweet/spice cinnamon with some great fruit notes. The oakiness of the first taste is there, but this barrel (#1980, incidentally) seems to be very fruit forward with the citrus and cherry combining very nicely with the cinnamon.
The oak notes that were quickly replaced on the palate return with the finish. A very nice, oily mouth feel coats my mouth and allows the flavors to hang around even longer. The vanilla that showed itself in the nose makes a welcome return in the finish. A slight char is also noticeable, but far from overwhelming. Some light tobacco rounds out the long lasting finish of what is a very, very nice pour.
The Widow Jane 12 year is only available via barrel pick from bars, liquor stores, etc. so you may have to do some searching. The hunt will be well worth it.
Widow Jane 12 Year Single Barrel
9.4
Pros
- Great layering of flavors
- Long finish
Cons
- Fairly single note nose
- No widespread availability