Review: Forward/Slash Quintessium Blend of Straight Bourbons
Forward/Slash Distillery and Blending House was founded by Tim Bradstreet and Michael Buffa, two longtime beverage industry veterans whose shared enthusiasm for American whiskey and blending eventually turned into a business partnership. Buffa is known throughout Central Florida as the founder of the Orlando Whiskey Society and Buffa Bittering Company. Bradstreet previously served as a beverage director for Marriott and Gaylord Hotels and also played a role in opening Orlando’s Rusty Spoon restaurant.
The idea for Forward/Slash began taking shape in 2022. In April 2023, the company officially opened its blending house and tasting room inside a renovated historic warehouse in Winter Park, Florida. Rather than operating as a traditional distillery centered entirely on in-house production, Forward/Slash established itself as a blending house built around transparency. Mature whiskey is sourced from independent distilleries across the United States, then combined into original blends intended to showcase regional terroir and complementary mashbills.
Like many modern blenders, Forward/Slash sources whiskey from major producers in Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee for its Legacy Series. The Artisan Series, however, takes a different route. Those releases combine whiskey from numerous small and mid-size distilleries throughout the country, resulting in blends unlike anything tied to a single source.
Buffa explained that whiskey sourced from one distillery generally stays within a certain range of flavors and aromas. Variation certainly exists, though there are natural limits. Pulling barrels from producers across multiple regions opens entirely different possibilities. Throughout that process, transparency remains central to the company’s philosophy. According to Buffa, Forward/Slash does not work with sourced whiskey tied to non-disclosure agreements or any arrangement that prevents disclosure of origin. Every component used by the company permits full transparency.
In 2025, Forward/Slash released Quintessium, a blend built from straight bourbon sourced from five distilleries across four states, with components ranging from six to eight years old. The largest portion of the blend, 50.26%, consists of bourbon distilled by Green River in 2019 and matured in an Independent Stave Co. barrel with a #4 char. Another 26.34% was distilled by Virginia’s Ragged Branch in 2017 and double barreled using casks with #3 and #4 char levels. Finger Lakes Distilling in New York contributed 10.77% of the blend through whiskey produced for McKenzie in 2020 and aged in a Kelvin barrel. Wisconsin’s J. Henry & Sons accounts for 9.79%, distilled in 2017 and matured in an Independent Stave Co. barrel with a #3 char. The remaining 2.84% comes from Kentucky’s M.B. Roland, distilled in 2017 and aged in a 53-gallon Kelvin Cooperage barrel with a #4 char.
The final derived mashbill lands at 69.11% corn, 14.56% rye, 5.59% wheat, and 10.74% malted barley.
Buffa also noted that, as time passes, he has become far less interested in cask strength whiskey. In his view, many consumers share that outlook, regardless of the opinions often amplified through whiskey-focused social media circles. Forward/Slash bottles most releases at 100 proof, including Quintessium.
Drawing inspiration from the blending philosophy associated with Compass Box, Quintessium combines five very different whiskey components into a single release. Does it all come together in the glass? Let’s pour a dram and find out.
Forward/Slash Quintessium Blend of Straight Bourbons Review
The aroma opens on molasses before shifting toward the dry air of an old tobacco barn. From there, stewed prunes, smoke, and dark chocolate round out the nose. Right away, the whiskey points toward an earthy, funky profile that I suspect comes from the sizable Ragged Branch component.
What follows on the palate goes in another direction entirely. Compared to the nose, the whiskey lands sweeter and far more viscous than expected. Bananas Foster and toasted pecans arrive first, followed by root beer and cinnamon-raisin bread through the mid-palate. That earthy funk remains present throughout, though the sweeter elements keep it from taking over. Instead, it works more as an accent than the main attraction.
The finish brings apple cider donuts and Apple Jacks cereal, with red licorice and a touch of fresh mint arriving toward the end. Only after that does the earthy funk return once more, again in a supporting role rather than at center stage.
Overall, this is a blend I thoroughly enjoyed. Legacy producers deserve their reputation, but smaller distilleries are beginning to hit another gear, and Forward/Slash has done an excellent job showcasing the range that American whiskey can offer. On its own, Ragged Branch has rarely clicked for me because of its earthy, grassy funk. Here, paired with sweeter Green River stock and other components, it suddenly finds the right setting and contributes something genuinely interesting to the final whiskey. Based on this release, I’m very interested to see where Forward/Slash heads next.
100 proof.
A- / $70
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