Jefferson's Reserve Very Old Very Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Jefferson's · Sourced and blended by Jefferson's (Kentucky Artisan Distillery, Crestwood, KY)
A composed, contemplative bourbon that embodies slow heat — approachable on entry but with depth that unfurls over minutes in the glass. A quiet benchmark of the blended-bourbon craft.
Nose
A slow-blooming bouquet of toffee, dried orange peel, and old leather-bound books, with baking spice and a whisper of pipe tobacco drifting upward as the glass warms.
Palate
Rounded and unhurried — brown sugar melts into cinnamon-stewed apple, followed by nutmeg, roasted pecan, and a savory ribbon of char-touched oak. Mid-palate reveals dried cherry and a faint, honeyed maple sweetness.
Finish
Long and gently escalating, with warming clove, toasted almond, and a lingering ember of dry oak and cocoa that builds rather than fades.
- Mash Bill
- Undisclosed
- Barrel Type
- New charred oak
- Bottled in Bond
- No
- Single Barrel
- No
- Wheated
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
The Slow Ember — 2 oz Jefferson's Reserve, 0.25 oz demerara syrup, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, 1 dash orange bitters. Stir over a single large cube for 40 seconds; strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Express an orange peel and drop it in. Rest 60 seconds before the first sip.
Food Pairing
Slow-braised short ribs with a dark cherry reduction, or aged Gouda with candied pecans and fig jam.
Founded by father-and-son Chet and Trey Zoeller, Jefferson's built its reputation not on distilling but on the artful selection and marriage of mature Kentucky barrels — a curator's approach in an industry obsessed with pedigree.
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