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Ridgemont Reserve 1792 8 Year Old

Banana Scented Polish

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@dbkReview by @dbk

20th Sep 2011

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Ridgemont Reserve 1792 8 Year Old
  • Nose
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  • Taste
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  • Finish
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  • Overall
    81

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1792 Ridgemont Reserve is the work of the Barton 1792 Distillery distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. After Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792 is Sazerac’s “other” Kentucky distillery. Originally the Tom Moore Distillery, named after the eponymous distiller who married into the Willett family, Barton 1792 has changed hands (and names) a few times.

At first, this whiskey greatly disappointed me. It struck me as rough and a little too aggressive: the nose initially reeked of artificial banana—because of its association with the medicines of my childhood, an unpleasant odor at the best of times—and there was little to the palate other than astringency and heat. Fortunately, that has changed with time, and the whiskey has opened up nicely. The nose, in particular, has made significant strides.

On the nose, there is caramelized banana, nutmeg, cinnamon, furniture polish, and yeast. Notes of green apple and brown sugar appear at irregular intervals.

The palate is medium bodied. It remains astringent, though it reveals more of itself now. It is dryer than many bourbons, but it shows bananas once again. There is some nice spice on the finish, though it does compete with the astringency. In all, there’s not a lot going on here.

Although it has improved with age—the artificial banana notes have become tame and the nose more complex—the furniture polish on the nose and the astringency on the palate definitely take away some of the enjoyment. 1792 Ridgemont Reserve is a fine whiskey, but not a great one.

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7 comments

@darktrader
darktrader commented

This one confuses me also, but I may be too attached to it as I received it as a gift from a dear friend.

It goes fantastically with ginger ale, but otherwise I am not feeling it due to its full-frontal force you described so well above.

12 years ago 0

@dbk
dbk commented

Interesting, @darktrader. I suspect that 1792 Ridgemont Reserve has one of those profiles that pushes as many people away as it brings in. Some seem to be quite fond of it, especially the more recent distillates, but I have yet to be so compelled. It's certainly not "bad" whiskey, but it has the promise to be so much more.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@dbk, I am glad to hear that this improves with oxidation. I also am one who hasn't been favourably impressed by the samples of it I have had so far. Hasn't Sazerac Company actually started 'calling the distillery' itself (i.e. hasn't Sazerac renamed the distillery)"The 1792 Ridgemont Distillery"? I think that I have seen that somewhere in print.

12 years ago 0

@dbk
dbk commented

You're right that Sazerac recently renamed the distillery to incorporate the 1792 name, @Victor, but it was to the name listed above: Barton 1792 Distillery. Until 1944, it was named Tom Moore; after that, Barton; it was named Tom Moore again in 2008 under the ownership of Constellation Brands; and, as of May 2011, renamed once more by current owner, Sazerac, to Barton 1792.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

Thanks for the clarification on the distillery name, @dbk. "Barton 1792"...not a name I would come up with for a distillery. Do you know, is there some year date mythos around '1792'? Are they tacking down their distillery's historical narrative to that date in some way, perhaps?

12 years ago 0

@dbk
dbk commented

I agree, @Victor: "Barton 1792 Distillery" just doesn't have much of a ring to it.

I believe there is little in the way of mythos here. 1792 happens to be the year Kentucky joined the Union, as the 15th state. Rather, 1792 Ridgemont Reserve/Barton 1792 are making use of mere association—between Kentucky and quality bourbon—which is refreshing, I have to say. All too often, whiskey mythology plays with facts like, well, most politicians do.

12 years ago 0

B
Barlee commented

I found 1792 to be a really easy sipping bourbon. So far,I've only enjoyed a handful of bourbons neat. 1792 is a pleasant surprise to me.

11 years ago 0