Info Shots

• Price: ~$59.99 (2023)
• Spirit: Whiskey
• Proof: 114.6 (57.3% alcohol)
• Noses (smell): Brown Sugar, Fruity or Oaky wine. Cork Smells like a maraschino cherry
• Palate (taste): Fruity (from sherry cask), Cognac flavors are well defined. Oaky with sweet sugar
• Age Statement: MGP
  • American White Oak – 5 years
    • Ex-Cognac puncheons/hogsheads/barrels – 11m-1 year
    • Ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry butts – 11m-1 year
    • Ex-Oloroso sherry butts 11m-2 years

Distiller information

Background

Doc Swinson is an very exploratory brand. They make some of the oddest things you will find in the bourbon world. The crazy thing is the vast amount of products that they have to try and blend to make something new and interesting. For example they produce a product called Tres Hombres which is a rye whiskey finished in Anejo Tequila Barrels and Rum Cask barrels. In this case we have a straight bourbon finished in sherry and cognac cask.

The company on their website use the following to describe the bourbon:

We borrowed and twisted many of these techniques to produce Doc’s Alter Ego Bourbon. Our goal was to take good whiskies, blend them together and see how we could enhance these blends as well as maintain the flavor of the whiskey itself. After years of finishing whiskies in a variety of casks, we believe we have struck success using Olorosso Sherry, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, and Cognac casks from a number of curated producers.

Whether accentuating or layering in characteristics, we believe these techniques enhance the spirit and still focuses on the bourbon. These casks allow the delicate characteristics of past occupants to mingle and marry with the smooth yet bold aspects of Doc’s Straight Bourbons. Each release is then meticulously blended and married in ex-Cognac Foeders prior to bottling. Our finishing and blending techniques impart a dry nuttiness, subtle sweetness, and an extended finish to an already great whiskey, while still allowing the bourbon to shine.

https://www.docswhiskey.com/library-high-proof-triple-cask

Onto the Review

Temperature

Fruity and oaky. This match in heaven is harsh off the bat and if you haven’t worked up to it. But once you are accustomed to it, this comes off a very nice bottle.

Conclusion

There not much to conclude here. Its a clean bottle that delivers on the flavors it set out to do. That is to say for my palate it matches what is described. That is to say for those looking for unique out of this world experience, this isn’t it, but what it is is a very nice sherry flavor with cognac attributed that are imparted on this whiskey.

There is a version of this that isn’t cask strength. This is designated usually by one being a aluminum top seal vs a wax dip like the cask strength. Either one should be a good option, but personally I like things to be hotter as they show what the full capacity of the bourbon can be.

In the end, this is a good bottle at the price that we picked it up for.