Lonehand Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey

Nose: This has a very light nose with no detectable notable scents. There’s a little corn going on. Palate: This is a very middle of the road, uncomplicated whiskey. Like it’s nose, it was very difficult to pick out specific flavors. Although technically a Tennessee Sour Mash, it could probably be mistaken for a bourbon if tasted blind. It has classic bourbon flavors, although they are toned down and a bit watery. The mouthfeel is decent and leaning toward the thin side. It has a pretty short finish that pretty much doesn’t change, flavor-wise. There’s just a twinge of heat in the finish but it isn’t harsh nor burning and doesn’t last very long. The taste is more on the earthy side, with some dark fruit, and some light sweetness. Sadly, there really isn’t anything that stands out on this one. Comments: This was a mini (50 ml) that I picked up somewhere, probably for $1.50 or less. Total Wine sells a 750 ml bottle for $15. It is 80 proof. The distillery was sued by Jack Daniels for having a bottle that looked a little too much like Jack Daniels….which isn’t surprising because it seems pretty obvious that that is what they were going for. The taste is actually very similar to Jack Daniels. It was hard to find any information on this one, but the label states that it is filtered “though Sugar Maple charcoal using the time-honored Lincoln County process”. It also states it is distilled in TN but bottled in Houston, TX. There is speculation that this is sourced from George Dickel, which kinda makes sense. It is very uncomplicated and not at all complex. At the price point, it isn’t bad, but I’d just as soon buy a bottle of Benchmark or another low-price bourbon. That said, for a cheap cent mini, it wasn’t awful. If you grabbed a handful of these to put in your golf cart because you couldn’t find any of your regulars, you wouldn’t be terribly disappointed. I should note, however, that I tasted this in a Glencairn glass, not out of the little plastic bottle……which MIGHT make a difference? But again, when you’re playing a round of golf for fun (the ONLY way to play for me), you won’t really care. Lastly, I could see this as a decent mixer whiskey in your favorite cocktail.