Copper & Cask Wave That Flag 9-Year Double Oak Bourbon
Finished in wave stave barrels
MSRP: $74.99
Mash: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley
Proof: 117
Age: 9 years
Nose: toasted orange peel, sweet florality, tart cherry, fresh leather, rich caramels
Palate: the leather leads the palate before giving way to all of that fruitiness, cherry licorice, peach, orange oil, caramelized brown sugar, the back of the palate has a twang almost like a passion fruit cream
Finish: medium length finish of fruit leathers and an oaky mustiness
Rating: Buy it (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)
Thoughts: This is a very fruit forward bourbon. I've really only had one wave stave bourbon before, and it was a wildly different profile, but had a similar effect on their whiskey. It brought forward loads of fruit and brightened everything overall. This had much the same effect here on this MGP bourbon. Typically I prefer to have a strong presence of the earthier side of whiskey, and that really isn't present here. However, it is so balanced and interesting, I really like this a lot. I don't think it's necessary to grab multiples, but this is so worth picking up. This is a fantastic release by Copper & Cask.
What's the Deal?: Copper & Cask is an NDP out of Rhode Island that collects barrels they find interesting distilled in different places and aged in different places. Some of my favorites from them have been the MGP bourbons distilled in Indiana and aged in Florida. Beyond collecting interesting barrels, they are ALWAYS experimenting. I strongly remember visiting the warehouse for a pick and being able to try one of the six coffee cask finishes that they were doing with different roasts from different local roasters. They also had vermouth, chartreuse, and absinthe finishes amongst all of the normal varietals. For this particular release, they leaned into the patriotism by comparing wave staves to waving a flag. And I'm here for it. Wave staves aren't a very common finish that is publicly talked about. It brings out some nice tropical fruit sweetness in my experience, and this one is no different. Wave that flag is as creative of an experiment as it is a naming scheme. Keep doing what you do Copper & Cask, I love it.
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