Widow Jane Bourbon

Widow Jane Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Widow Jane Distillery
Brooklyn, New York
ABV: 45.5%
91 Proof

I bought this bottle back in 2017, in a time when the selection of bourbon wasn’t so large. It was one of the first ones beyond your more well known brands of Kentucky bourbon that I saw at Target actually for a steep price of $70.

I was excited because I had drank Widow Jane in New York several years prior. My tastes seems to have changed over the years as I have tried more bourbons though as I wasn’t very impressed with this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally drinkable. But it has taken me years to get through the bottle because there was always something better on the shelf for a cheaper price.

On the nose it has a powerful oak note, it’s actually quite nice. It smells better than the taste which is a downer. Initially I would say it is very harsh on the tongue but then ramps down to be smoother by the end with a light pepper note.

The bottle says that the bourbon is made using pure limestone mineral water from the Widow Jane Mine located in Rosendale, NY. I would assume that is where the distillery got the name. It also says it is Kentucky bourbon aged 10 years in American oak. They must take the water from the north, age it down south in Kentucky, then bring the barrels back up to bottle. A complicated process for an okay bourbon.