Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel Finished Bourbon Review

Steve Coomes -

BOTTLE DETAILS

  • DISTILLER: Mary Dowling Whiskey Co.Locator (a.k.a. Rabbit Hole Distillery)
  • MASH BILL: 70% Corn | 25% Malted Rye | 5% Malted Barley
  • AGE: More than 4 years total. Three years in new American oak, then more than a year in tequila barrels that first held sherry.
  • YEAR: 2024
  • PROOF: 93 (46.5% ABV)
  • MSRP: $75
  • BUY ONLINE: Mary Dowling Store Locater

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Fans of soft and delicate whiskeys.

WORTH THE PRICE: No.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bar, if you're curious.

OVERALL: For once, there's an interesting and believable liquor story behind the lady whose name this bottle bears, and why there's a tequila tie-in. John and Mary Dowling owned and operated Waterfill & Frazier Distillery in Anderson County, Ky. Despite his death, Mary apparently ran the business well until 1918, when she closed it knowing Prohibition was near.

Not to be fully deterred, Dowling, with the help of Jospeh Beam, had the distillery disassembled, moved to Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, and reassembled. There they made bourbon until 1964, when bourbon was declared a distinct product of the United States. After that, it had to be labeled as whiskey. When manufacturing ended there, I'm not sure, but the Waterfill & Frazier brand itself was passed around to multiple distilleries.

Kaveh Zamanian, founder and operator of Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville, Ky., created the Mary Dowling brand and uses RH's bourbon in it. As a tribute to Dowling's venture south of the border, Zamanian used tequila barrels (that formerly held reposado likely made by RH's Pernod-Ricard sibling and tequila distiller, Olmeca Altos ) to finish the bourbon.

Fun story aside, I really struggled with this, fought to detect its aromas and flavors and really get to the essence of the base whiskey. As blanco, good tequila is remarkably powerful and super flavorful, but when barrel-aged, it softens markedly. Interestingly, while it takes on barrel notes and benefits from esterification while aging, it gives the wood next to nothing. That spirit is truly stingy!

So, the choice to use an ex-tequila barrel seems odd, more a novelty than an attribute.

But I stayed with it and got the following subtle aromas: butterscotch, cinnamon, white pepper, tropical fruit, banana custard, smoldering straw and a little acetone.

On the palate it's super lean and lacks body, which is the opposite presentation of Rabbit Hole's whiskies; they have really good mouthfeel. Anyway, the spirit is fruity and slightly spicy, attesting to its high rye mashbill. But the finish is light, arguably negligible and disappears quickly and cleanly.

This feather-light whiskey is a malt drinker's bourbon, which, based on conversations I've had with Zamanian, who is a Scotch lover, may well be what he was after.

BRAND NOTES

Mary Dowling Tequila Barrel was created in honor of Mary’s own perseverance and determined spirit to stop at nothing to make her whiskey. This is a high rye Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; aged over 3 years in #3 wood-fired, toasted and charred new American Oak and then finished in Reposed Tequila barrels.

This remarkable wheated bourbon expresses memorable notes of Oak, Subtle Spice, Anise, Herbal Root, Citrus, Orange, Light Floral Notes.

Palate: Citrus, Lemon, Grapefruit, Smoke, Tobacco, Nutmeg, with Herbal and Earthy Notes

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.