J Mattingly 1845 Bourbon Review

J Mattingly 1845
Classic Double Staved
6-Year-Old
Kentucky Bourbon
Batch 1
119 Proof
MSRP: $110 / 750ml
Review

Please enjoy our J Mattingly Distillery 1845 Double Staved 6-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon Review! (Classic Small Batch)

J Mattingly 1845 Distillery History

The Mattingly family has a long history of distilling in Kentucky. In fact, according to the company website, that history dates back to 1845, when John Graves Mattingly opened his distillery in Louisville. Many years later, in 2010, Jeff Mattingly, John’s sixth generation descendent, founded the Bourbon 30 Distillery in Georgetown, KY. A few years later, in 2023, the name was changed to the J Mattingly 1845 Distillery, and the distillery was relocated into a new 25,000 square foot space in Frankfort, KY. Both the Bourbon 30 and J Mattingly 1845 brands now coexist.

According to Harry Richart, president of J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery, “all of the J Mattingly 1845 double-staved whiskey releases have been custom blends, created for specific retailers, our guests at the distillery, or by our blending team to honor a specific cause or event.” However, the new J Mattingly 1845 Double Staved 6-Year-Old Kentucky Bourbon, that is the subject of this review, will be their flagship classic small batch bourbon. In addition, it will be the first J Mattingly Bourbon to offer a consistent taste profile that will be available year-round.

The Details

The J Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon is a 6 1/2 year old blend bottled at 119 proof. According to the Distillery, this bourbon, like all J Mattingly 1845 Distillery releases, has undergone the Distillery’s signature double- staving™ process, allowing the whiskey inside the barrels additional surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color.

So, you may be wondering, what’s it like?

Tasting Notes – J Mattingly 1845 Classic Double Staved Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Brown sugar, toffee & vanilla; touch of powdered sugar; dark cherries; dry spicy oak; hint of tart orange peel & cedar; alcohol vapor noticeable, but appropriate for the proof
👉🏻Taste: Brown sugar, dark cherries, dry spicy oak, black pepper, tart orange peel & tannins
👉🏻Finish: The flavors continue into the finish; sweetness decreases; black pepper and tannins increase; mild char; long; pleasant warmth

The nose starts off fairly rich with thick, sweet brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, and a touch of powdered sugar. Dark cherries and moderate spicy dry oak are also quite noticeable, with hints of tart orange peel and cedar. The alcohol vapor is as would be expected for the relatively high proof.

The taste is quite sweet at the onset, with plenty of brown sugar, which is soon accompanied by dark cherries. However, fairly rapidly, dry oak, tart orange peel, black pepper spice and tannins, join in. Finally, those same flavors continue into the finish where the sweetness diminishes, but the black pepper, spicy dry oak, and tannins increase. The flavors then linger into the long finish, with mild barrel char and dryness becoming more noticeable. A pleasant warmth grows in my chest.

Conclusion

J Mattingly 1845 Classic Double Staved Bourbon has full rich flavors, with the double-staving technique allowing it to taste more mature than its years. There is plenty of spicy dry oak, along with tannins and black pepper, which provide a very nice complement to the bourbon’s sweeter, richer flavors. Overall, this is a very enjoyable pour, and one for which you will slowly savor every sip.

Have you tried any of J Mattingly’s bourbons? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our J Mattingly 1845 Double Staved 6-Year-Old Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Review! If you would like to read about some other “double oaked” whiskeys, then check out our Pursuit United Double Oaked Bourbon Review, our Peerless Double Oak Bourbon Review or our RD ONE Bourbon Finished With French Oak Review.

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the Distillery for my review.

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