Vio de Maranja, 10%, 6 year old Kentucky bourbon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe Kentucky bourbons all come from a mash of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley. The Tennessee bourbons all come from mashes of 84 percent corn, 8 percent rye, and 8 percent malted barley (the 19 and 11 year old components) and 70 percent corn, 22 percent rye, and 8 percent malted barley (12 year old component). The final blend is bottled at 116.3 proof and does not undergo any filtering.<\/p>\n
Will these liquid streams harmonize, or will we have discord in a glass? There\u2019s only one way to find out.<\/p>\n
That old Tennessee bourbon comes through immediately on the nose, full of barrel char, toasted oak, and burnt peanut skins. Almond and black walnut extracts come next. Those are in turn followed by equal (but not quite opposite) rushes of vanilla creme and leather recliner, the sweet and tannic elements merging nicely after my third sniff. Fruit is more muted than I expected, and with light traces of that apricot brandy finish coming through more like charred peaches and orange cura\u00e7ao. Those are nice punctuations, though ultimately dark wine tannins and very old oak dominate the range of aromas.<\/p>\n
The first taste is sweeter than the nose suggests, immediately viscous on the tongue. Sweetened orange cura\u00e7ao and vanilla ice cream lead, quickly evolving into dark cherry syrup and blackcurrant jam. There\u2019s plenty of dark fruit influence here, and though the nutty Tennessee bourbon lingers in the background, it\u2019s not as pronounced compared to the nose. A thread of Cognac hits right before the midpalate, along with a hit of robust wood spice I\u2019d guess comes from the influence of European oak. More citrus peel and vanilla accumulates toward the back palate, a good counter to what might be otherwise overpowering wood notes.<\/p>\n
Given the proof, blend, and cornucopia of cask finishes, I expected the finish to weigh heavily. Instead, we\u2019re left with remarkably light lingering flavors: orange marmalade and apricot jam, various dark berry jellies, and lightly bitter aged brandy. Creamy peanut butter and semi-burnt caramel wrap things up on a remarkably elegant note.<\/p>\n
Blue Note\u2019s latest Special Reserve release might read like a word scramble at first, but there\u2019s a reason to the rhyme that clearly pays off. Its stumbling blocks are tiny, and there are points on the palate and finish where the whiskey oh-so-nearly touches greatness. I\u2019m excited to see if the Blue Note team will continue to hone the blend. This is a good whiskey that implies something really great just a percentage point or two away.<\/p>\n
116.3 proof.<\/p>\n
A- \/ $225 \/ bluenotebourbon.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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Blue Note Special Reserve Bourbon 2025<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t\t$225<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.drinkhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SpecialReserve1-525x687.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Blue](\"https:\/\/www.drinkhacker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SpecialReserve1-115x150.jpg\")