Whiskey Review: J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon (2025)

Bourbon

J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon

$110

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OVERALLRATING

9

We review J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon, a six-and-a-half-year Kentucky straight bourbon influenced by the distillery's "double-staving" process.

• byNino Kilgore-Marchetti
• August 29, 2024

• Nino Kilgore-Marchetti, founder of The Whiskey Wash, is an award-winning whiskey journalist, expert, and judge

Tasting Notes:

About:

A six-and-a-half-year Kentucky straight bourbon influenced by the distillery’s “double-staving” process. It is bottled at 119 proof and priced at $110.

Appearance:

This is surprisingly dark in the glass. The deep amber notes suggest a much older bourbon. It is supported by moderate legs and viscosity.

Nose:

Intense and rich notes of caramel, oak, and vanilla greet you as your nose hits the rim of the glass, supported by a well-structured backbone of peanut butter, toasted almonds, dark chocolate, and a hint of wet grass.

Palate:

Wow, wow, wow – this is quite the spectacular sipper upon palate contact. Layers of creme brulee, BBQ smoke, sweet vanilla, baking spice, a pop of oak, decadent caramel, and fresh apples abound. It is three-dimensional in consideration.

Finish:

This finishes on the hot side, bringing some nice smoke and a bit of sweetness to the back of the throat for a nice, long lingering.

Comments:

J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon is a bourbon for the ages. I was initially skeptical, given the price point for the age statement, but after tasting this, I get it – this is a unique expression that shows how the Mattingly family knows its stuff—well done!

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Perour editorial policies, this in no wayinfluenced the outcome of this review.

The Mattingly family has been tied to Kentucky distilling for more than two centuries. They have a hand in the development of at least nine separate distilleries and are connected to some of the most noted names in the distilling industry, including George Garvin Brown, the Willetts, and the Samuels.

It is said to have all started in 1845, with John Graves Mattingly’s first distillery, Registered Distillery #2, in Marion County, Kentucky. Some believe his distillery was the first registered distillery in Kentucky.

In 2010, Jeff Mattingly took up the family’s legacy and started his craft bourbon business. Today, his son Cameron has joined the team, continuing the legacy into the latest generation for J. Mattingly Distillery 1845 in Frankfort, Kentucky. Together, the father and son offer their proprietary double staving process, which imparts “more wood contact than can be coaxed from just aging in the barrel itself.”

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What this amounts to more practically is that several “specially charred staves [are] added to a barrel,” a process developed after experimenting with charring barrel staves with various finishes and char levels to impart additional flavors into bourbon barrels.

What’s in the bottle

The whiskey being reviewed here, J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon, is the first flagship bourbon released under the J. Mattingly 1845 whiskeys, subject to the in-house double-staved profile. It is designed in part to offer fans a consistent taste profile they will be able to find year-round, given that, to date, all of the previous releases under this label have been custom blends created for specific retailers, guests at the distillery, or by the blending team to honor a particular cause or event.

This six-and-a-half-year blend is bottled at 119 proof. The double-staving process, it is said, allows the whiskey inside the barrels additional surface exposure to charred barrel staves to impart more flavor and color.

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J. Mattingly 1845 Small Batch Classic Bourbon is priced at $110 per 750 ml bottle.

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti

Nino Kilgore-Marchetti is the founder of The Whiskey Wash, an award-winning whiskey lifestyle website dedicated to informing and entertaining consumers about whisk(e)y globally. As a whisk(e)y journalist, expert, and judge, he has written extensively about the subject, been interviewed in various media outlets, and provided tasting input on many whiskeys at competitions.

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