Review: Veritable Distillery Ship’s Bell Whiskey and Southwick’s Gin
Veritable Distillery is a new Connecticut-based spirits company, but founder Bailey Pryor has been around the block. He’s the founder of The Real McCoy Rum, and now he’s moving into the world of whiskey and gin.
The idea? Make spirits with “ingredients that were historically available and commonly traded in New England over 300 years ago, in the true spirit of original American distilling.” Veritable also voluntarily includes ingredients and serving facts on the bottle’s label — which I’ve seen in wine but never in spirits.
We received both Veritable’s new whiskey and gin for review, so let’s dig in.
Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Whiskey Review
This starts with sourced bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky. It’s aged in Kentucky for 2 years in new, level #4 charred barrels, then things get weird: The bourbon is blended with “The Veritable” American Single Malt Whiskey (100% malted barley), which has been aged in Connecticut for 3 years in ex-bourbon barrels from BBCo. The blend proportions aren’t announced, but the final, derived mashbill is 73% corn, 21% rye, 6% barley. It’s billed as a blended bourbon.
The added single malt clearly softens things up here a lot. The nose is gently sweet and lightly nutty, with notes of peanut countered by some coconut, light touches of baking spice, and a mix of floral elements. Soft and lightly sweet, it often hits the nose like a fortune cookie, tempered with a drizzle of caramel sauce.
The palate is easygoing and approachable, with a sweet and soft approach that feels effortless. Silky caramel and vanilla lead the way before a burst of fruit comes into focus. Baked apples dominate a chewy, lively core with light notes of lemon and more baking spice emerging after the initial rush of more blunt pastry shop elements fades. It has a clean finish, with a reprise of vanilla and caramel, bending toward almond in the end. Fun stuff that feels tailor-made (and priced) for highballs.
86 proof. B+ / $37
Southwick’s American Gin Review
Produced via fractional distillation of cane spirit (white rum, in other words), “wherein we distill Juniper on its own after a maceration period, then our “Base Note” maceration (licorice and rhubarb roots), and our ‘Top Note’ vapor infusion (fresh grapefruit peel, pink peppercorn, and nutmeg) in three separate distillations. These ‘fractions’ are then blended to create the perfect balance.” That’s a total of six botanicals, though for what it’s worth only four are listed in the ingredients.
Brilliant juniper hits the nose first; there’s an immediate London dry vibe here, but also a sultry smokiness that normally connotes orris root and coriander, which aren’t present in the botanicals list. Time in glass sees the piney juniper blowing off and a clearer licorice note taking hold, leaving behind aromas of anise and fennel. Black pepper becomes more significant in the later stages. I can see how this development might put off some drinkers, but let’s soldier on.
The palate is sharp and a bit complex. Some fruitier notes come into focus, though tentatively, and with a bitter edge — the grapefruit peel doing a lot of the heavy lifting. The gin soon reveals a strong, earthy core, leaning heavily into more of that black pepper and a ruddy, tarry note that evokes cloves and turned earth. The finish lingers on on dried mulling spices, sans the wine or cider to temper their tannins.
It’s rather scattered for me, but a solid pick for fans of more aggressive gin profiles.
92 proof. B / $37
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