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Founded by University of Georgia graduates Jim Chasteen and Charlie Thompson, American Spirit Whiskey Distillery ("ASW") is a craft producer out of Atlanta, GA with the plant registry DSP-GA-20014. As Southern Pot-Still Pioneers, they are one of the few producers to distill in the ancient Scottish Tradition of small, grain-in batches (where grain solids are left in for the remainder of the distillation process) though they also partner with Midwest Grain Products to source distillate for further aging, finishing and blending before bottling as is the case here. This bottle is from the June 2023 batch which is a blend of two principal spirits. ASW's master distiller, Justin Maglitz, is accomplished old-time string music fiddler and he often experiments with various factors between batches. As such, the "Fiddler" brand name fits perfectly. No two batches are truly the same, but all of the ones I've had so far have been to my liking. This bottle shares the same underlying bourbon as the Fiddler Heartwood series, but has been aged an extra period in toasted barrels. There is also a Toasted Rye edition which is quite lovely. One of my favorite things about ASW is the labeling; they experiment so much but also provide 10x the information of other craft producers.
🧪Proof: 113.6 Proof, 56.8% Alcohol by Volume
🎨Color: R8 - Dear God this is dark whiskey. It's labeled as "no color added", so we know it's all wonderful woody goodness.
🥔Mash Bill: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Barley Malt - Distilled by MGP in Indiana, this bottle uses their uber high wheat bourbon recipe on a column still. Barrel entry proof is noted as 116.
Batch 23-06 includes two primary spirits:
- Barrel 1: 60% of batch volume, aged 6 years and 2 months, level 1 char, finished for 22 months in toasted barrels
- Barrel 2: 40% of batch volume, aged 5 years and three months, level 3 char, finished for 5 months in toasted barrels
👃Nose: Truckloads of vanilla, crème brûlée, and sweet biscuit. Substantially less ethanol that you'd expect for the proof.
😜Palate: Thick and velvety, old wood, spice cake, and custard. I get maple syrup and raspberry towards the finish.
💦Finish: Long, mildly warm, most flavors present, old oak and vanilla linger into a loving Kentucky hug
🏆 Overall: 8/10 - Excellent - This is my favorite craft bottle of whiskey bar none, and it keeps getting better with each batch. 24-02 is even better! I am a huge sucker for wheated bourbons and this one shows off the wheat sweetness really well without being over the top. As far as sourced whiskey goes, Fiddler Toasted Bourbon shows how things should be. MGP applies their scientific mastery and lab quality to produce phenomenal distillate, and ASW then applies the barrel selection, finish, and blending to compose the final symphonic flavor profile. Also try the Toasted Rye and Heartwood editions from ASW, all phenomenal bottles.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously.
10 | Perfect | You didn't think anything could be this good | A clear champion.