Following the journey of Jefferson’s Bourbon often requires tracing a trail far from its home state of Kentucky, across the globe and eventually, into a rocks glass. So, it made sense (in a way) that the pioneering company’s new Reserve Cask Strength would make its debut not in the heartland of American whiskey, but among the vivid climes of Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The famed Colorado venue and national park, with its striking vistas, was a fitting locale last week for Jefferson’s co-founder and whiskey iconoclast Trey Zoeller to announce Jefferson’s new 130-proof Reserve Cask Strength offering: The whiskey pioneer lists Red Rocks among his favorite places in the world. For good measure, the company is the official bourbon of the legendary space. The partnership takes the phrase “bourbon on the rocks” to a new level entirely.
It also carries on Zoeller’s penchant for innovative American whiskey, which started nearly three decades ago alongside his father, bourbon historian, author and collector, Chet Zoeller. Trey Zoeller’s idea to send barrels out to sea on a research ship unlocked a new approach to aging bourbon in modern times, and the rest is history — or rather, it guides the company as Jefferson’s looks to write new, historic chapters in whiskey innovation.
Red Rocks might feel like home, but Zoeller has crisscrossed the globe in pursuit of high-quality, whiskey including resting bourbon barrels for 18 months in notoriously hot Singapore and sending rye barrels out on an oceanic cruise (a Jefferson’s hallmark). The oceanic (or “dynamic”) aging process has also seen editions born from aging on ships off the coast of New York, but the product within always harkens back to traditional American bourbon (with a twist, of course).
The company’s latest offering brings things even closer to home, forgoing oceanic aging in favor of taking an 8-year, non-chill-filtered whiskey right from the barrel in what Jefferson’s calls a “high-proof evolution.” The whiskey drinks rich and vivid in character, without any harshness in spite of its amped-up ABV: Zoeller called it “big and bold,” noting he takes his in a rocks glass with a large cube of ice. There are rich notes of dark fruit, spice and even a touch of baking chocolate, buoyed by a deep amber-copper color. The whiskey is part of what Zoeller called an “unbelievable” ride: “I was 28 when I started this company, and I’ve been doing this 28 years,” Zoeller said while debuting the bottle, featuring Jefferson’s distinctive shape and elegant script logo.
The newly released liquid (billed by the company as an “homage to our authentic Kentucky roots, bolder than ever before”) takes its cues from Jefferson’s Reserve, a flagship offering and the company’s oldest. Despite its high proof, the remarkable realization is that Reserve Cask Strength doesn’t drink like a bourbon pulled right from the barrel: There are elements of softness to it, and as Zoeller added in a statement, “this is for those who crave the full experience of a high-proof bourbon that’s as big as it is drinkable.” At a very agreeable SRP of $70 at ReserveBar, Jefferson’s has pushed its own limits in a way that makes it easy for fans and high-proof bourbon collectors to restock their bar cart.
