Distiller: MGP
Release: 2022
Whiskey: J Mattingly “Maple Sausage”
Region: Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Price: $149.99
Proof: 130.5
Age: No age statement
The Barrel Cellar Score: 93 Points
Review Date: 07/12/2023
About the Bourbon: From the bottle: The J. Mattingly 1845 legacy traces its origins back to John Graves Mattingly, who opened Mattingly & Sons. This distillery, one of the first to be registered in the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1845, is where our tradition got its start. Today that legacy lives on in Master Crafter Jeff Mattingly at the Bourbon 30 Spirits Distillery in Georgetown, Kentucky.
Barrels For J. Mattingly are reportedly well aged barrels sourced from MGP. Many of the offerings are well over 12 years, as is the bottle I’m reviewing today. 30 Spirits distillery, who produces it, is famous for allowing both individuals and retailers to blend their own bourbon from multiple different barrels on site. J. Mattingly bottles are relatively new to me, but after trying multiple different blends (this being the 3rd) I am consistently impressed by them.
I enjoyed the whiskey for this review using a Glencairn.
Color: Caramel
Nose: Caramel, cherry, orange citrus, pipe tobacco, and the slightest touch of corn dust.
Palate: Chocolate and peanut butter milkshake, butter scotch topping, home-made caramel, and butter cream. Drop a couple of cubes in and notes of nutmeg, and creme brulé, emerge.
Finish: Vanilla, oak, and caramel.
Assessment: The person who blended this bourbon named it “Maple Sausage” but they got it wrong. It should have been called “Butterscotch Brulé,” or “chocolate, peanut butter milkshake with butter scotch topping,” because both of those perfectly describe the dominant personality of this bourbon, and it is a personality.
The stuff is a desert in a glass that drinks miles under it’s 130.5 proof designation. Giving me a hearty pour of it in a Glencairn is akin to giving 7 year old me free run in a fully stocked ice cream shop. My bottle didn’t last long. It’s soft and velvety, coating and buttery, and the sweet notes on the finish are never ending.
J. Mattingly isn’t distributed everywhere, and every blend will be different, but it’s a common thread in my experience that every bottle has been impressive. If you see a bottle give it a try. It’s worth the price.
The Barrel Cellar gives J. Mattingly Bourbon 93 points.
The Barrel Cellar 