Review: AJ Bond Tennessee Whiskey

David already got the full backstory on AJ Bond when he talked last month with whisky-maker Allisa Henley. We discovered in that interview that she was the ‘A’ in AJ Bond, with the ‘J’ being the late John Lunn, a veteran of George Dickel, like Allisa, who joined Sazerac in 2016 when the company purchased their then employer Avery Trail Distillery and set in motion grand plans to give Jack and George a run for their money.

In 2017, I had the chance to taste some of Allisa’s and John’s earliest experiments at WhiskyFest in Washington, DC. The brand didn’t even exist yet, but I remember being impressed with where things were heading. It was entirely unlike the banana- and peanut-filled white dog of those other big Tennessee whiskey producers. Distilling operations reportedly moved to La Vergne in 2019, but then Lunn passed suddenly in 2023, casting doubt on whether we’d ever taste a final product. It was a welcome surprise to hear the news earlier this year that, after nearly a decade in the works, AJ Bond had finally arrived.

As with their many other whiskeys, Sazerac doesn’t give us any details about the mashbill, but we know a little something about the process. Most unique, AJ Bond is a blend of pot and column-distilled whiskeys. Initial distillations were on Avery Trail’s pot stills which were modified to support the pre-barreling charcoal filtration required to certify as a Tennessee whiskey. In 2021, a column still came online. There’s no age statement, but we’re told this first release is a blend of those younger column-distilled whiskeys with pot-distilled stock that is pushing a healthy 8-9 years old. And to pack as much Tennessee into the bottle as possible, corn is sourced locally from Murfreesboro while maturation occurs in Tennessee-grown white oak. We’ve been waiting a long time for this one. Let’s check it out.

AJ Bond Straight Tennessee Whiskey Review

The aroma showcases some classic Tennessee whiskey elements, but it does so with a unique depth and richness that speaks to the maturity of the whiskey but also the pot distillation. Notes of caramel corn, vanilla, cocoa powder, and maple fudge offer up a gentle sweetness restrained by undertones of barrel char, subtle woodsmoke, and damp earth. As it opens, that darker vanilla bean note becomes a little higher toned, blooming into cream soda and cake frosting.

When David interviewed Allisa, she made it clear that the goal for AJ Bond was to be a more approachable, sipping Tennessee whiskey. On the palate, they’ve certainly achieved that – perhaps to a fault. Initial notes of brown sugar and maple candies are light and a touch thin at the outset, building with some intensity across the sip and delivering almost too much easy sweetness. Maple syrup and vanilla extract on the midpalate continue the saccharine trend before some slightly savory contrast arrives in the form of creamed corn and honey roasted peanuts. A flourish of cracked pepper, barrel char, and dark chocolate further tame things on the finish, but the fadeout is still generously sweet with notes of buttercream icing, cinnamon syrup, and graham cracker. It’s an impressive foray into Tennessee whiskey for Sazerac; a Tennessee whiskey that does indeed stand apart from Jack and George. AJ Bond should find plenty of admirers, especially at this price point.

95 proof.

B+ / $35

The post Review: AJ Bond Tennessee Whiskey appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.