Cleveland Black Reserve American Bourbon, Batch 008 / 50%/ 0.7l

In 2007, Tom Lix founded Cleveland Whiskey Company with the mission of developing a method to accelerate the whiskey maturation process.

After six months of traditional maturation, the distillate goes into a steel vat mixed with oak barrel staves chopped into splinters. For the next seven days, this mixture is exposed to pressure and temperature, which makes the whiskey take on characteristics consistent with aging in a standard warehouse for 5-7 years. Cleveland Black Reserve debuted in 2013, and is currently available in 12 states, as well as in Germany and Japan. Cleveland Whiskey Company is a micro-distillery that produces about 1,000 bottles of whiskey a week and sells them all on the floor.

Nose : slightly alcoholic, cornflakes, vanilla, toffee, caramel, pepper, a trace of ginger and oak.

Palate: buttered popcorn, cotton candy, vanilla, caramel, grapefruit, black pepper, a pinch of cinnamon and oak.

Finish : not too long, oaky, with notes of vanilla and pepper.