Widow Jane releases amburana-finished Bourbon

The latest release in Widow Jane’s The Vaults series places aged Bourbon in Brazilian oak.

Widow Jane’s The Vaults series explores different wood finishes on older whiskeys. For The Vaults 2024, the Brooklyn craft distillery, led by head distiller and blender Sienna Jevremov, has finished a blend of 15-year-old Bourbons in amburana wood casks.

“Amburana is a bombastic wood, full of heady, rich aromatics,” Jevremov said. “My first task was to create a gorgeous blend highlighting the earthy and textually robust qualities of 15- and 20-year-old whiskeys.

“My next imperative was to slowly introduce the amburana to work with the whiskey’s notes in delicate harmony. I hope everyone can enjoy the dance of deeply aged whiskey and tropical spiced aromatics.”

Bottled at 49.5% ABV, the whiskey shows notes of amaretto cookie, cherry blossom, and honeyed graham crackers on the nose, with cinnamon raisin, green tea, and roasted yams on the palate. It is priced at US$250, with 24,000 bottles available starting in October.

Jevremov took over distilling and blending duties from Lisa Wicker in 2022, and views this release as stepping out more on her own as a whiskey maker.

“The 2023 Vaults release was my first big project leading the blending team,” she said. “With that one, I wanted to explore the terroir of American oak while also gently pushing us to new flavour explorations. Now, after a year as head blender I felt it was time to challenge myself.

Alongside The Vaults 2024, Widow Jane has also announced the return of Decadence, which finishes 10-year-old Bourbon in maple syrup casks. That whisky is proofed at 45.5% ABV, and priced at US$100.

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