I’d like to thank the folks at Bluebird Distilling and their PR partner for sending these samples with no strings attached.
It has been a rough week since we last spoke. My wife’s grandmother passed at the age of 99, and one of my dogs may or may not have had a stroke. I’m pretty sure those two things are unrelated, as they never met each other. But there has been a lot of stress in the household as we worked through grief on two fronts.
The good news is that my pup seems to be getting better, even if she does currently need to be hand-fed like a baby. But the vet thinks it should be a temporary thing, so I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep my pup living a good life, even if that good life now seems like it will be shorter than it did at this time last week. So since I am not in a great headspace at the moment and because we have a lot to cover, let’s jump straight into the whiskeys, shall we?
Townie Whiskey is a brand of “procured” whiskey put out by Bluebird Distilling in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The line is not distilled in-house—at least not entirely—but are instead a line of less expensive offerings that are intended to be…they don’t explicitly say “well bourbon,” but that’s the vibe I’m getting from their marketing. Here is what the brand has to say for themselves:
The brainchild of Jared Adkins, founder and owner of Bluebird Distilling, Townie Whiskey is an approachable and economic counterpart to his scratch-made craft spirits. An unpretentious whiskey line made to be enjoyed straight up or paired with a light beer in a boiler maker. Adkins and his distillers hand selected barrels and blended each expression (with their own scratch-made juice) in order to deliver a high quality yet affordable product.
So, now onto the important part, how do they taste?
Townie Regular Bourbon
Purchase Info: This was sent by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $34.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.33
Details: 42% ABV.
Nose: Green apple, dried grain, and fresh cut hay.
Mouth: Baking spice, apple and dried grain.
Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of green apple and fresh cut hay.
Thoughts: Not a fan of this one when poured neat. That said it does ok in a highball or an Old-fashioned. It's a little more expensive than I'd want my cocktail-only pour to be (almost 1.5 bottles of Wild Turkey 101) but pricing tolerance is a personal issue. I'm giving this one a neutral rating. It's not for me, but it isn't like there is anything objectively wrong with it.
Townie Fine Rye
Purchase Info: This was sent by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $34.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.33
Details: 43% ABV.
Nose: Cedar, wintergreen, and cinnamon
Mouth: Cedar, molasses, caramel, and a subdued cinnamon spice.
Finish: Bright and of medium length- Notes of cedar, molasses, cinnamon, and caramel.
Thoughts: Neutral on this one too. I think the lack of proof on this dilutes it a little too much. It doesn't have the spicy burn I expect from a rye. This is not to say that it is bad; it is just that it isn't for me.
Townie First Class Bourbon
Purchase Info: This was sent by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67
Details: 50% ABV.
Nose: Caramel, baking spice, and dried grain.
Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, baking spice, and green apple.
Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, green apple, baking spice, and dried corn.
Thoughts: This is much better than the 84° proof version of their bourbon. The online description says it is made from their favorite barrels. Which makes sense based on the increase in quality. I do think the added proof helps too. It has a nice burn throughout the tasting process. Just a touch more green apple and corn than I'd like on the finish, but this isn't bad. Much like all of these, I will probably set it aside for cocktail use, but this one especially would also be ok if it were just poured neat and served to me that way.
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