Review #1378 – J. Mattingly White Elephant 69% ABV

This dram was tasted blind. I took down my notes, and formulated a guess over my usual tasting sessions. Let’s see how I did!

Review #1378 | Bourbon Review #606

Distiller: MGP/LDi

Bottler: J. Mattingly

Brand: J. Mattingly

Selection: N/A

ABV: 69% ABV

Age: 12 Years

Nose: Searingly hot. Ethanol is up front, brash, powerful and painful. After that, some malty sweetness, faintly musty grain and a bit of honey.

Taste: Medium to thick mouth feel, with ethanol all over. Palate is far better than the nose, bringing sweet honey, toffee, fruits like cherry and apple, and some nice oak structure. Definitely a bourbon. Good allspice character. Faint cocoa in the end.

Finish: Short to medium in length, super hot though. Lots of caramel, creme brulee, honey, toffee and some faint oak. It’s sweet but punishing.

Overall: This is so powerfully hot, but pretty good once you battle your way through the nose. I have to imagine this is a newer ECBP, or maybe an EHT BP based on what I’m feeling is HH or BT juice. Maybe it could even be bookers, but I don’t think it has enough funk. Guessing around 7 years old, 63% ABV. This was revealed to me as J. Mattingly’s White Elephant, 12yr bourbon. Pulled from the worlds tiniest cask, yielding 42 bottles, this expression punches in at 69% ABV and it shows. If I had to guess based on what I know, its a moderately aged light whiskey.

Thanks for reading!

Rank: 6

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Decoded:

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect