Seelbach’s Tennessee High Malt Bourbon Selection
At the tail end of 2021, Seelbach’s made their second selection from the craft newcomer Chattanooga Whiskey out of Tennessee. It had been some time since single barrel picks were available as at the time their Bottled in Bond release had taken priority as a core release from the distillery.
I bought three of these when they dropped for myself and my friends. My group was looking forward to this release and we were already hyped after running through the single malts that were released a few months prior.
This single barrel was aged 4 years and 1 month with Chattanooga’s “Roasted” SB055 mash bill in a 53-gallon char level 4 barrel. A combination of yellow corn, malted rye, double roasted caramel malted barley, and pale chocolate malted barley makes up the mash with at least 25% of that being malted content. Bottled with no filtration at 118.8 proof.
More info on Chattanooga’s single barrels can be found here with additional mash bill info found here.
Tasting Notes
If you weren’t sure this was bourbon, that milled corn aroma hits you right off the bat! Blooming coffee, orange peel, and floral vanilla excite the appetite. Maple wood and toasted oak sugary caramel. Sweet malt and corn meal. Almost like a corn tortilla or cornbread. Freshly cooked waffle cones. There’s also a green element to this that is certainly from the malted rye content. It gives me familiar chocolate mint notes and combined with the rather sweet malt and corn, sort of a mint chocolate chip feel. My expectations however were tampered with a youthful alcohol fragrance that lacks those older oaky scents. Dilution worsens the nose and harsher alcohols perfume in your glen.
The palate is a punch of cinnamon and clove. On the hotter side with a lot of that toasted oak note. I know it’s char level 4 but the stevia-sweetened caramel and floral oak are rather present on the nose and palate. Earthy black tea blend. Slightly oversteeped with some nice bitter characteristics. Toasted bread. A very faint light citrus note builds a bit in the nose with your sip. Artificial “berry” note. Not medicinal but a sweet berry-flavored candy. Water helps coax out some more wonderful fruit notes. Blackberries, cherry, and a dried craisin tartness.
Dry and heavy oak make up the finish and you certainly taste the age here. Singed black coffee. Raw sugar and corn syrup. The green note pops back up on the finish but instead of chocolate mint, it’s closer to honeysuckle and clover. It’s not really a pop of rye either but a more mellow grassiness. Finally, the texture can only be described as chalky. It’s chocolate protein powder that didn’t fully dissolve in your shake. Water neither helped nor hindered the finish, an extended rest time helped by pulling back the less palatable youthful alcohol notes.
Overall
It took time to decide, but I’d say this was a good to ok selection. Compared to that honey barrel of a first pick, this whiskey shows more characteristics of its age. It’s kind of chewy and dense but rest and a touch of water help. Chattanooga’s malt content honestly may hide some of the flaws of a youthful craft whiskey. The sweeter malt covers shortcomings that only age can determine in a whiskey.
Ultimately, I think Chattanooga will turn around for me with stocks continuing to age up to the 6-year mark now. It really reminds me of New Riff single barrels, good but there are one or two single barrels that stand out at that ~4-year age range. 111 will continue to be a whiskey I keep on my shelf but single barrels I may want to try before I buy if I can.
