Whisky Advocate Review: A. Smith Bowman's Latest Continues a String of Top-Notch Releases

The whiskeys of A. Smith Bowman don’t get as much attention as the rock stars of the bourbon world, but this Virginia distiller has a long pedigree dating back nearly 100 years, and its Virginia Gentleman label once vied for whiskey leadership in the state. The Bowmans, an old Virginia family, owned the distillery until 2003, when it was acquired by Sazerac. Nowadays the focus is on limited-edition bourbons with big, sweet flavor profiles, made by distiller David Bock with the participation of Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace Distillery team, and its whiskeys are quietly in the ranks of some of Buffalo Trace’s best.

This past March, A. Smith Bowman launched the Abraham Bowman Oak Series, which showcases different types of oak. That inaugural release focused on French oak, and was aged in a mix of charred and uncharred French oak barrels—the uncharred portion making it technically not a bourbon. The latest edition in the series is centered on American oak. Like its predecessor, this one is 12 years old, distilled from an undisclosed mashbill. In a somewhat unusual method, initial distillation is done by Sazerac, and the liquid is then transferred to A. Smith Bowman for its final distilling process.

American Oak was aged entirely in No.-3 char American oak barrels from Missouri-based World Cooperage. The whiskey’s natural proof was somewhere around 70% ABV, but Bock made the decision to cut it down to 67% as he felt the flavors worked better at that level. That’s a fairly sizable jump from French Oak, which was bottled at 50% ABV. Tasting blind as always, our panelists found Abraham Bowman American Oak to be a flavor-packed whiskey filled with sweetness, balanced oak, vanilla, and spice.

Availability is, unfortunately, quite limited. Like French Oak, Abraham Bowman American Oak is being sold exclusively through a lottery that will kick off on November 25th and conclude on December 2nd. An entry form can be filled out on the distillery website. Winners will be randomly selected on December 4th, and notified by email. The lottery is open to customers around the country, but the winners must be able to pick up their bottles in-person at the distillery gift shop in Virginia before 5:00 p.m. on December 22nd.

Abraham Bowman American Oak Bourbon, Reviewed

Score: 93
ABV: 67%
SRP: $80

Plentiful aromas of toffee, vanilla, honeyed cereal, cherry cheesecake, and flavorful oak that doesn’t overwhelm. Water brings out vanilla custard, saltwater taffy, and fudge, plus sweet, candy and bakery shop aromas. The palate has oak underpinnings but is also sweet and flavorful, with maraschino cherries, blueberry, chocolate, café crème, and peppery spice. Water brings lovely cinnamon spice notes, coffee cake, more café crème, French toast, and espresso beans. The heat is well restrained on a long finish, with flavors accented by light barrel char. Water or ice is recommended, but it’s smoothly textured and thick with flavors.