Cumberland Cask Tennessee Straight Whiskey Barrel Cut (118)

Comments and Discussion on Whiskey Reviews found in BE.com's database

Moderator: Squire

Cumberland Cask Tennessee Straight Whiskey Barrel Cut (118)

Unread postby BoroSaurus » Thu Feb 19, 2015 10:39 pm

Hello all. I've been reading reviews here for a long time and now I'm jumping in on the action since I still don't see any reviews for the whiskey listed in the title above.

Cumberland Cask was 'resurrected after four generations' by the great grandson (Josh Eskrill) of Davidson County legend whiskey maker Manuel. As the story goes, Manuel was known by many after the Prohibition as the foremost authority on Tennessee whiskey. 'It wasn't long before he left his self made department store next to the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville to make whiskey his way of life.' Now, 'holding to his tradition,' Eskrill is taking Tennessee Whiskey back to where it started, to the days before charcoal filtering (in my opinion) ruined Tennessee Whiskey.

Cumberland Cask Barrel Cut, an uncut, unfiltered, hand crafted whiskey, is the exact recipe Manuel was selling all those years ago, apparently. The only difference is I bet Manuel wasn't selling his barrel cut whiskey at $45 a bottle. Haha. There is also a standard 90 proof offering that is quite tasty. I still need to buy and try the limited edition Ruby Cut that is being sold in my local store for $59.99. I have heard it is quite excellent. It is apparently the 90 proof recipe aged in California Port barrels.

OK. So more about the barrel cut version. At 118 proof, you might expect this to be a burning ball of tasteless ethanol, but I am here to tell you, there is no whiskey or whisky I enjoy more on Earth right now than this one. Suprisingly smooth for its high alcohol content (more so IMO than Booker's or WT Rare Breed) with just the right amount of spice and fruitiness, leather and smoke. Of course it is sweet thanks to the corn, but the rye comes theough and balances very well and each sip leaves you with a hint of smoke courtesy of some malted barley. I smell and taste caramel, apple and a hint of cherry and blueberry. My tongue also picks up a hint of blackberry in there I think.

The mash bill is 70% corn, 25% rye, and 5% malted barley, if you are curious. All of Cumberland's stuff is aged between 6.5 and 8.5 years. And as noted, this is not chill filtered or charcoal mellowed. Which is a plus for me, as I am certainly no fan of Jack or his Tennessee relatives (I am a KY Straight Bourbon man, sorry fellow Volunteers).

There's more history about the makers and the company out there on the Web. I am so happy to be from Tennessee now that we have a whiskey I actually enjoy to call our own! As noted above, I am looking forward to trying the limited edition Ruby Cut, which is aged in California Port Barrels. A buddy of mine says he can't bring himself to share even a sip of the little he has left with anyone else (I will remember that one day when I stea....errr....buy a bottle of 17YO Eagle Rare or some 20YO Pappy Van Winkle). Note that you might have trouble finding this whiskey if you live too far outside of Nashville. I hope the distribution channels open up soon so others may enjoy my favorite whiskey.

So that is that for my first post fellow bourbon and whiskey and whisky lovers. I have much to share and much more to learn, as I have only been drinking whiskey for the past 10 years (I am 29. My first few sips came as a 19 year old boy at my grandfather's home in the mountains of East Tennessee. That was and remains perfectly legal under Tennessee law by the way, as long as you are with an elder relative and with approval from one or both of your parents/gaurdians).

Happy sipping!

-Mark from Murfreesboro, TN
BoroSaurus
Registered User
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 10:06 pm

Re: Cumberland Cask Tennessee Straight Whiskey Barrel Cut (1

Unread postby Squire » Sat Feb 21, 2015 9:48 pm

Can't tell much from their web page which implies their whisky is being made by Speakeasy Spirits which hasn't been in business long enough to have distilled 6-8 year old product so that's obviously sourced. That's not necessarily a negative so long as it's decent stuff and not overpriced, main thing is you enjoyed it.

Oh, and welcome aboard.
Squire
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 772
Joined: Tue Nov 23, 2004 9:04 pm
Location: Jackson, MS

Re: Cumberland Cask Tennessee Straight Whiskey Barrel Cut (1

Unread postby GreenWolf70 » Wed May 13, 2015 10:39 am

I would not have bought a bottle of this stuff, except at Red Dog's in Franklin they have a tasting bar. I bought the Blue bottle which is the barrel cut. The taste that stands out the most to me is a buttery thickness that I like. It is complex in taste and doesn't have much of an alcohol burn for such a high proof, very enjoyable. Like I said, I would not have bought a bottle except for that tasting bar. Just looking at it, it looks like a wine bottle and I did not notice the label was a map until I looked at it closely. The people at Red Dog said it was a local product.

That was my first trip to Red Dog's, and now I stop in whenever I am in the area. The inventory, like just about everywhere, turns over very often and you can never count on any particular Bourbon being in stock, but I like that I can taste the Bourbons I don't know. Last trip I picked up a bottle of Bib & Tucker and a revival of an old label by Old Fitzgerald called David Nicholson 1843, or so the folks at Red Dog tell me. All Bourbons I would have passed on if I had not tasted them.
GreenWolf70
Registered User
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 12:03 pm


Return to Whiskey Review Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests