Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon Review [In Depth]
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Details
Distillery: Savage and Cooke
Type & Region: Bourbon, California, USA
Alcohol: 50%
Composition: 70%, 16% wheat, 14% barley
Aged: 4 years old
Color: 1.5/2.0 on the color scale (auburn, polished mahogany)
Price: $80-100
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon overview
There is a lot of bourbon on store shelves today and it’s so easy to get lost in the shuffle. In an effort to do something new, unique, and potentially delicious, companies have done all sorts of things to stand out – cask finishes, single barrels, unique grains, celebrity partnerships, real / made up heritage, fancy looking bottles, and more.
Savage and Cooke, apart from overhauling their bottle design, went into experimentation mode with unique corn varieties for their two limited edition bottled in bond bourbons: howling mob (click here for the review) and bloody butcher red corn (this review). To add another twist, this Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon is also wheated.
Savage and Cooke was founded by Dave Phinney, who apparently is a well known figure in wine, in 2016. He’s possibly best known for his work with Orin Swift Wineries and The Prisoner brand of wines. The Prisoner may ring some bells because those casks were used to finish Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Prisoner Finished Bourbon and High West’s Prisoner Cask Finished Whiskey
The distillery is located in Mare Island, California, which is close-ish to San Francisco and Sacramento. It’s close to California’s prime wine-growing regions, which makes sense given Dave’s experience.
Because the company can better describe this bourbon, see below for additional details that are also on Savage and Cooke’s website.
The Land
After research spanning multiple seasons, a particular plot of land was selected in Winters, California (approximately 35 miles from the distillery) for its nutrient rich soil, maximum sun exposure and access to water.
The Grain
An ancient heirloom grain, the Bloody Butcher corn comprises 70% of the recipe. The balance is 16% Red Winter Wheat and 14% malted barley. The Bloody Butcher corn, notoriously difficult to grow, provides intense flavor and structure. The Red Winter Wheat provides a velvety texture and generous mouthfeel. Malted Barley rounds out the mashbill and provides structure as well as flavor.
The Production
True grain to glass. Every element of production from growing the grain to fermentation time to distillation and the barrel regimen was controlled internally. No detail was overlooked. Supreme quality Seguin Moreau char #3 barrels ushered this Bourbon from cradle to maturity imparting toasty oak, vanilla, structure and character along the way.
Just to be clear, Bloody Butcher red corn is simply just an heirloom variety of corn that is naturally dark red…like the color of blood. There’s no funny business or improper behavior that makes it red. No matter what the grain, the distillate always comes out more or less clear after distillation.
Savage and Cooke is not the first to use red corn, although it’s still not that commonly used. Off the top of my head, I know Still Austin (Bottled in Bond red corn), Savage and Cooke (every bourbon they make), and High Wire (in every bourbon they make) use it. Heirloom corn does not guarantee that the bourbon is better, but the attention to detail is not a bad thing and some of the releases have been “Top Shelf”.
Let’s find out what this has in store in this Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon review.
This bottle was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon smell
I initially smell dark honey, dried cherry, roasted oak, light wheatiness and graininess, heavier toasted cinnamon, dried orange peel and red apple peel. There’s a lot of roasted oak and spices with some brighter fruitiness sticking out here and there, so the wheated character really comes through with the spice.
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon smells very good with above average fullness and body, although it generally feels straightforward. The wheaty and bready funk is there, but well controlled.
After swirling and 15 minutes of rest, I smell dark honey, dried cherry, a lot of roasted oak and cinnamon, red apple peel, a little bit of hay, orange peel, and clove. In a “duh” statement, Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon smells very much like a wheated bourbon, meaning very oaky and spicy. That said, there is more sweetness and way less wheaty gumminess and funk than other wheated bourbons I’ve had such as Maker’s Mark Cask Strength.
I don’t know what it is, but it’s not as interesting or full this time. It still smells really nice, but I wish that it were more rich and layered because it would make a big difference.
The foundation is here for something great, but it can’t fully capitalize on it.
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon taste and aftertaste
I taste a lot of dense honey and fresh red apple up front, followed by roasted oak, cinnamon, toasted bread, orange, vanilla, and a little bit of bitterness. Huh, I was not expecting this to be so honey and apple-forward, which adds brightness and vibrance, then all wrapped up in darker oak and spices. While the flavors are unique and nice, although they aren’t as full as the scents are.
With “chewing”, bright and vibrant honey and red apple are front and center in the front half, followed by roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, orange peel, vanilla, toasted bread and grain, and something lightly bitter in the back half.
It’s wild how Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon tastes so different than how it smells. The scents are more oaky and spicy, on-profile for wheated bourbon, while the flavors are more sweet and fruity, which is more unique.
The finish has more of that honey and red apple forwardness, with longer-lasting orange, cherry, roasted oak, cinnamon, and toasted bread that bring a little bit of burnt bitterness. After “chewing” it leaves honey, red apple, and orange followed by oak cinnamon, clove, toasted bread, and some light bitterness.
As interesting as the honey and red apple-forward flavors are, it otherwise does not feel complex, layered, or rich. It’s a one trick pony that’s novel for a few moments, but leaves me wanting more because it feels like there should be more…but there isn’t.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon Rating
Savage and Cooke Bloody Butcher Bottled in Bond Bourbon is an interesting experiment in using heirloom bloody butcher red corn and wheat that provides some fun moments, but overall doesn’t stick the landing to make this a memorable limited release.
There are promising parts to this, especially the honey and apple-forward flavors that feel unique, but the rest of the bourbon can’t keep up and fill out the rest of the experience so it’s. Everything is nice, but straightforward and less interesting than it should be.
In the grander scheme of things, Savage and Cooke released two bottled in bond bourbons as experiments using different types of heirloom corn – this one using bloody butcher red corn and the other one with Howling Mob corn. After reviewing both of them, I strongly prefer their Howling Mob Bottled in Bond. Like this one, Howling Mob Bottled in Bond is surprisingly fruity, but the entire experience feels more developed, rich, and enjoyable.
It’s hard to pinpoint what part of the production process leads to Howling Mob being better (in my opinion). There are so many pieces to this, from the grain, the barrels, where the barrels were aged, and more. And I will not go as far to write that Howling Mob corn is better for bourbon than red corn is, as I scored Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond Red Corn Bourbon as “Top Shelf”.
Props to Savage and Cooke for trying something new and unique that drinks well, but this isn’t the must buy that I hoped it would be. If you can find it at a bar to try, go for it.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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