Whiskey Advent Calendar Tasting: Sonoma Distilling Company's Sonoma Bourbon

This is part of my series on tasting notes from the 2021 Drinks By The Dram Bourbon Advent Calendar.

Whiskey for December 20th, 2021: Sonoma Distilling Company's Sonoma Bourbon

The distillery

We've already talked about Sonoma Distilling Co.

The whiskey

This is our second whiskey from Sonoma Distilling Co., the first was their Cherrywood Rye back on the 8th. Today is their Sonoma Bourbon. We get a mash bill like last time of:

70% Corn, 25% Wheat, and 5% Malted Barley

And it's "aged a minimum of two year" making this a Straight Bourbon.

There's a few tasting notes as well:

Toasted vanilla, almond, toffee brittle, and coffee.

The rye wound up being unique and unusual, but worth trying. I hope I can say the same for the bourbon.

Look

This bourbon is fairly light. I'd call it rose-gold with yellow highlights and a pink hue. It forms thin, quick running legs when swirled.

Nose

Wow, this is unusual. I get strawberry jam and champagne as the nose. It's very reminiscent of an extremely fruity port. Anyhow, there's definitely some grassy rye notes in the background too. A very interesting nose.

Taste

I wonder if there is port involved in this whiskey. It reminds me of the basil hayden port finished rye, but not as much port. So the strawberry jam/port flavor is throughout the drink with that weirdly effervescent taste that I nosed as champagne also hanging out too. It's remarkably close to the nose in flavor. There's some rye spice in the middle that trails off with the other flavors.

After water

The nose and taste are largely the same after water. The taste is a little more delicate in the opening letting that champagne flavor be a little more floral and bright. The every so slightly calmer flavors make it possible to pick up some vanilla in the middle of the taste that lingers out into the finish, which still just goes on forever.

Summary

So I have to assume that Sonoma Distilling Company's thing is making unusual flavor profiles. This is unusual and would not be what I would expect if I ordered a bourbon. I really want to think this is port finished or had port barrel staves added to it or something. I would absolutely drink more of this, it's good and interesting, but would only work in the kinds of situations that a port finished bourbon would work.

Bravo to Sonoma Distilling Company for giving me novel things to try. Really, it's a pleasure.