Anyone who reads this blog or listens to the Capital City Bourbon Show Podcast knows that we are huge fans of Jim Rutledge. He has been a long-time friend of our bourbon group, a guest on the podcast (and will hopefully be coming on again soon), and our barrel pick trips to Kentucky always include a lunch or dinner with Jim. If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him, he one of the nicest individuals you will ever meet and he is simply a wealth of knowledge when it comes to anything bourbon. He will never shy away from talking about his passion or sharing any information regarding his background, distilling practices, aging, blending, and frankly, anything else you want to know. In short, Jim personifies everything great about the bourbon community! So suffice to say, we were thrilled to see this new release that we heard so much about from the man himself!
The inaugural release of Echoes of Oak is a blend of only 23 barrels which were 9 and 5-years old. The bourbon was distilled by Jim from a mash of 65% corn, 25% rye, and 10% malted barley, and aged at the Pennyroyal Distillery in Midway, Kentucky. The blend is bottled at 107.2 proof and retails for the low price of $69.99.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance – golden amber.
Nose – the nose is soft and delicate, revealing notes of sweet nougat, vanilla, rye spice, a touch of red grape, and very subtle oak undertones. This reminded me of a Christmas nougat bar (think nougat, cranberries, and almonds) with just a touch of spice and oak.
Palate – this bourbon presents with a burst of dark fruit jam and milk chocolate sweetness, but the sweet notes are quickly balanced by a bouquet of earthy spice from the high-rye mash. Initially the spice is more subtle (think green cardamom and soft cinnamon) but it quickly becomes somewhat sharp and peppery mid-palate.
Finish – the finish continues with more sweet vanilla and red fruit notes that contribute to a pleasantly viscous mouthfeel. However, that mid-palate spice presence continues to dominate. The white pepper presence really lingers here with just the right amount of burn from that elevated proof point, creating a long, lingering finish.
Overall – Thank you once again, Jim Rutledge!
This is a wonderful bourbon at a extremely reasonable price point that aptly reflects Jim Rutledge’s distilling capabilities and blending prowess. The profile is not terribly complex and there are some youthful attributes, but ultimately Jim was able to create a blend that provides a pleasant balance of sweet to the spicy characteristics of his high-rye mash, a viscous mouthfeel, and a long, lingering finish with the perfect amount of burn. All of this comes in at a very impressive price point that is simply not common in the current market.
Presumably Batch 1 of Echoes of Oak won’t be around long, but I don’t think you will be disappointed if you are able to find a bottle. If not, we certainly hope Jim has more stock put away for another batch in the near future!
Cheers y’all!