The other night I opened a pint bottle of Henry Watterson Bourbon made in Spring 1916 and bottled in Fall 1929. The bourbon was made at the A. Mayfield Distillery, DSP#229 in LaRue County, Kentucky. The distillery was built by J M Atherton and run by his brother-in-law Alex Mayfield. By 1910 it was owned by the Kentucky Distillers and Warehouse Company which became American Medicinal Spirits Company during prohibition. They bottled and sold this bottle of Henry Watterson Bourbon. The bourbon was good and transparent with no cloudiness, but evaporation had reduced its contents down to the shoulders of the bottle, probably reducing the proof as well to between 90 and 95 proof. Here is the tasting notes.
Color: deep Amber-red with thick legs on the glass.
Nose: Very rich in the dark fruits such as blackberry, dates and cherries, with a changing nose to a rich caramel that is like the Brach's chewy caramels. As you warm it in your hands it switches between fruit and caramel. What is suprising is the lack of spice notes.
Taste: A burst of sweet spices and pepper - cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon with rich fruity apricot and dates followed by some caramel and then Oak wood. Not bitter but thick and chewy in the mouth.
Finish: Sweet spices, caramel and fruit leading into a pleasant oak wood dryness that last a long time.