DSR – NC – 019: CB Fisher’s Small Batch Bottled In Bond Bourbon Whiskey
Company/Distillery: Fainting Goat Spirits, LLC
Location: Greensboro, North Carolina
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 30% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley
Age Statement: At Least 4 years for Bottled In Bond Designation
Proof/ABV: 100 Proof/50% ABV
Color & Viscosity: The color of Fisher’s bourbon resting in the glass is dark russet to light tawny in appearance. The whiskey produces a thin to medium-bodied viscous line that rapidly grows to become a thick lip. The thick viscous lip eventually develops into droplets that are sluggish to move down the sides of the tasting vessel.
Purchase Price: $49.95 from the Distillery in December 2020; 750 ml. The bottled used for this review was provided by Fainting Goat Spirits to Rickhouse Ramblings with no strings attached.
Bottle Label Information:
Front Label
“CB Fisher’s Small Batch Bottled In Bond Bourbon Whiskey”
“Distilled and Bottled by Fainting Goat Spirits LLC, Greensboro, NC”
“100 Proof/50% ABV”
Rear Label
“C.B. Fisher led men to battle, gambled his life savings on a gold mine, and left a mark everywhere he went. As a result; streets, neighborhoods, and city parks bear his name. The legend of his adventures gathered strangers together. Strangers became friends, friends became family, and for that we created our whiskey in his honor. Our grain to glass bottled in bond bourbon is handcrafted from North Carolina corn, and aged in new American white oak barrels. Once matured, our barrels are hand selected by our Master Distiller to share with the world. Marrying notes of toasted pecans, ripe honeycrisp apples, brown butter, and warm fall mulling spices. Our bottled in bond bourbon hopes to bring you together over your own tall tales and cocktails.”
“History Made By Hand By People Who Give A Damn.“
“Distilled and bottled by Fainting Goat Spirits, Greensboro, NC”
“Small Batches Handcrafted in North Carolina | Batch 1 | Bottle 950”
Distillery Background
Greensboro Distilling Co./Fainting Goat Spirits LLC
Greensboro Distilling Co./Fainting Goat Spirits was founded as a family-owned, small business in December 2015, by the husband and wife team of Bill Norman and Shelley Johnson Norman. Mr. Norman, who serves as Master Distiller, previously trained at The Culinary Institute of America in French cuisine where he mastered the ability to fine tune his palate. Mrs. Norman brings her passion for entrepreneurship and business management to Greensboro Distilling Co. The couple is joined by their children Andrew Norman, who serves as Master Blender, and Lesly Norman Hobbs, who brings a wealth of business experience, rounding out their Greensboro Distilling Co. management team.
The idea to distill spirits was hatched when Mr. Norman went on a tour of a distillery while vacationing in Seattle, Washington. It was on this trip that Mr. Norman quickly realized that his expertise in the kitchen would make him well-suited to own and run a distillery. Upon returning home, Mr. Norman reached out to his son, Andrew, who had taken a recent interest in home brewing and liquor infusions. The father and son duo would then begin to experiment and practice distilling before finally taking the plunge and launching the distillery. The dream became reality in December 2015 when they received their Distilled Spirits Plant (DSP) authorization.
Greensboro Distilling Co. is a grain-to-glass distillery, using fresh North Carolina corn, wheat, and rye grown on a farm in nearby Marshville, North Carolina. On a typical day at the distillery, one can find the Normans grinding and mashing their own grains for the fermentation process. Their hands-on approach doesn’t stop there; the Normans continue to take an active role in the process through distillation with their Artisan Still Design still, aging their products in new American Oak barrels, and bottling their products.
Greensboro Distilling Co./Fainting Goat Spirits currently produces Tiny Cat Small Batch Vodka, CB Fisher’s American Single Malt Whiskey, Emulsion New American Gin, and CB Fisher’s Straight Rye Whiskey. The Fisher’s Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey of this review was a first release with additional releases planned for the future.
Rickhouse Ramblings would like to think Andrew Norman for providing background information, mash bills, and other fun facts for this review. Your transparency and willingness to provide us with information, especially in an industry that likes to hide behind marketing and figurative curtains, is much appreciated.
Additional information regarding the distillery and its products can be found on their website.
CB Fisher’s Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey
Fainting Goat Spirits’ CB Fisher’s Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey is distilled under the rules and regulations of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. This means that the whiskey was distilled in one season by one distillery. After distillation, the whiskey is aged in a bonded warehouse for a minimum of 4 years before being bottled at exactly 100 proof. In 1897, this law was passed to provide consumers a level of confidence that the whiskey they are purchasing is of high quality standards. Fainting Goat Spirits’ Bottled in Bond Bourbon features a mash bill of 60% corn, 30% rye, and 10% malted barley. Most importantly, this whiskey holds the title of North Carolina’s 1st Bottled in Bond Bourbon Whiskey.
Tasting Notes
Tasting Date/Vessel: February 20,2022 – Neat in Glencairn Glass
Nose
Mike: Initially the nose of this bourbon appears soft then I’m hit with a quick discharge of ethanol. Light notes of honey and stone fruit are detected as a light swirl releases a gentle bouquet of brown sugar freshness. As the whiskey settles and I move the glass in a slow circular motion around my nose, mellow oak aromas are nosed out.
Mouth
Mike: My first sip of this Bottled-In-Bond bourbon from Fisher’s rushes the palate with a commanding oak presence. It’s sweet on the tip of my tongue with peppery rye and charred oak thumping my taste buds mid-palate. The rye spice then strikes the upper portion of my throat before settling into a semi-sweet charred honeyed profile (think turbinado sugar mingled with a touch of oak char). Overall, this whiskey offers a medium-bodied mouthfeel.
Finish
Mike: This whiskey boasts a soft to medium finish overall. An impeccable singe roost in my lower throat then progresses down into my chest. Aromas of fresh-cut oak from a sawmill linger on the back of the palate.
Our Rating
Final Thoughts
Mike: A delicate nose, modest mouth (not Modest Mouse for you Indie rock fans), and a sneaky good finish are what this Fisher’s Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon brings to the table. This is a respectable offering from a local craft distillery in North Carolina. Overall, it tends to drink a touch on the oaky side, so if that is your flavor profile, I would highly recommend that you pick this up. I greatly enjoyed this whiskey in general, but it definitely offers a profile that I’d really need to be in the mood for.
Rating: 3.00 Rickhouses
Gallery
