By now you’ve likely seen the craze around Thirteenth Colony Distillery and their Double Oak expression that seemingly came out of no where. But what about their flagship Southern Bourbon Whiskey?

First, let's start with who is Thirteenth Colony anyway? The bottle claims they are the oldest operating distillery in Georgia, located in Americus (southern part of the state, south of the midpoint between Macon and Columbus).  They opened in 2009 like many other distilleries - a group of friends had a passion for whiskey and wanted to make their own as gifts to family and friends. The Master Distiller is Graham Arthur, a classically trained chef by trade that utilizes his background as he personally tastes EVERY. SINGLE. BARREL. PRODUCED.  Wow, that's quite a task.  I find the culinary background very intriguing as clearly he understands flavors, food and beverage chemistry, and paring combinations.  Oh, and if you need another reason to be interested and support this brand, he's a veteran that served our country.

Their website discusses why southern, Georgia is an ideal climate for aging.  Based on weather data, the climate at their location is typically about 5-7 degrees warmer than in Kentucky.  However, they typically have a larger swing from low to high temperatures, especially in the winter months so the barrel will interact with the whiskey more frequently.  The call this the "Natural heat cycling" that other distilleries try to emulate mechanically.  The higher humidity levels of the area are also noted as key to their aging process as it falls squarely in the "perfect" zone for aging spirits so the barrels don't give up too much water or too much alcohol isn't lost.  This is some interesting science behind their product and location.  

The Tasting:

This is my first taste of anything from 13 Colonies and I’m interested, being a product of Georgia myself. My first interaction is the fruit notes jumping out of the glass in the nose. Sitting a foot away from me, I get notes of apple. A formal sniff adds honey, grassy notes, and caramel.  The earthy component adds a lot of intrigue to the experience.

The palate is a solid transition of the nose but a little dry oak added in for a nice balance along with a buttered bread note that’s very appealing against the sweet fruit and caramel. The balance here is fantastic - sweet, savory, spicy, and dry.  A solid finish adds a proper ending to the sip.

I find this to be an excellent, every day style whiskey. It’s not going to blow your socks off but at 95 proof, it’s approachable and pretty damn good. The price point of $49.99 means you grab this over and over again, sip it everyday and be very pleased.

If you want a non-Kentucky whiskey to surprise your friends with, who maybe haven’t experienced this brand yet, this a fantastic bottle to do that.