Review: Blue Note Juke Joint, Crossroads, and Rye
In 2021, Monica sampled a rare expression from Memphis-based B.R. Distilling Company’s Blue Note brand. The operation has recently reformulated its lineup, which is now predominantly sourced from a distillery in Kentucky (purportedly Green River Distilling). We recently received three of Blue Note’s flagship products, including a recently launched rye whiskey. Everything we know about them follows, along with our review.
Blue Note Juke Joint Kentucky Straight Bourbon – From a mash of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley; at least 3 years old. Oaky and full of apple fruit on the nose, it immediately evokes some of the elements Monica encountered with the 9 year old expression. Sweet and corny, with ample brown sugar aromas, but balanced and inviting, able to push through its layers of barrel char. On the palate, the whiskey begins with an applesauce character and moves from there into sweeter territory: butterscotch, vanilla cream, a layer of baking spice. While a corn-heavy quality endures, a touch of mint lifts the finish and pairs nicely with notes of chocolate. Surprisingly well-rounded for a whiskey of this relative youth. 93 proof. A- / $30
Blue Note Crossroads Straight Bourbon – The label doesn’t indicate a Kentucky sourcing designation, but says only it is “produced and bottled by B.R. Distilling Co.” in Memphis. Where this specifically comes from I’m not sure, nor do we know anything about its provenance aside from finishing on “two types of toasted French oak staves.” There’s a familiar DNA here that again feels built around apples and vanilla, making for a fall-friendly experience and a natural companion to the aromas of barrel char and gently smoke. The palate adds to the experience flavors of hazelnuts and almonds, though it’s not without an edge of greenness, lending a grassy quality to the experience. Lighter than its 50% abv would suggest, the bourbon has a gentle quality that takes things back to its corn-fed roots, touched with nutmeg, red pepper, and the flavor of Red Vines candy. It’s all fine until the slightly industrial finish, which has more of a petrol quality than I’d care to find on the fade-out, culminating in a mix of toasty and chewy elements that keeps the Red Vines suggestion, or perhaps one of gummy bears, just rolling right along. 100 proof. B / $40
Blue Note Rye Whiskey – What, no cute name? Classic, Kentucky rye made from 95% rye and 5% barley, aged a minimum of 3 years. You know exactly what you’re getting into here: Grassy and peppery on its pungent nose, with a healthy amount of char in the mix. Sweeter on the palate than expected — perhaps a goal of Blue Note — a brown sugar note helps percolate into the nose as well, livening the aromatics up after a couple of sips. On the tongue, there’s again a note of apple — here caramel-coated — and a healthy punch of spice, followed by notes of doughy cinnamon rolls and sugar cookie batter. Rather short on the finish, the vanilla that’s otherwise dominant takes on something of a chemical quality, concluding on another vaguely industrial quality that slightly mars what is otherwise a perfectly agreeable — and unsurprising — expression of 95/5 rye. 93 proof. B / $40
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