Review: Cedar Ridge Amontillado Sherry Finished Bourbon
Iowa’s Cedar Ridge has been churning out regionally beloved spirits for years, including both acclaimed bourbon and American Single Malt. In fact, Cedar Ridge boasts the top selling bourbon across Iowa, an impressive feat for the local upstart in the face of Kentucky giants.
Like operations big and small, Cedar Ridge has recently begun releasing limited edition cask finishes with their core products. The most recent riff is Cedar Ridge Bourbon finished in a first-fill Amontillado Sherry Butt from Jerez, Spain. The base spirit comes from a mash of 74 percent corn, 14 percent malted rye, and 12 percent malted barley. It spent around four and a half years in new American oak; the brand doesn’t provide specifics on the sherry finishing time.
A grain-forward nose kicks off with notes of hot porridge and then quickly opens up to much greater complexity. Ripe plantain, raspberry, tart cherry, and sour grape candy land at a nice intersection between the base bourbon and sherry influence. It’s hefty on cereal, ripe fruit, and tart sherry, and they’re all playing in near harmony here — though one wonders if a bit more time in the barrel could have added a thicker backbone.
The first sip is heavy on Iowa corn, like a sweet cornbread drizzled in treacle. Ripe red fruit builds along the midpalate, ripe raspberries taking center stage with strawberry hard candy and cherry Jolly Ranchers, eventually tiptoeing into blue raspberry territory. The whole experience is not quite cloying but still very sweet.
Flavors dry out a bit on the finish, a welcome final act that brings enough tannins — sherry-adjacent tobacco especially — to balance out the palate’s sugar and honey just a smidge.
It’s a punchy finish for a fairly young (but still quality) underlying spirit. Fans of Cedar Ridge especially will be excited to see Iowa’s best-selling bourbon in a new light.
115 proof.
B+ / $60 / cedarridgedistillery.com
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