Distillers at A. Smith Bowman, a Sazerac-owned facility in Virginia, are experimenting with a limited release series of oak-matured whiskeys. The great news: its first offering, Abraham Bowman French Oak, is positively delicious. The less great news: it’s only available by entering a lottery and winners have to pick up the bottle in person at the Virginia distillery. Those winners willing to make the journey won’t mind the effort. They’ll be too busy enjoying dram after dram of this rare treat. Here’s what to know about this new release.
What’s Abraham Bowman Oak Series?
It’s a new program from the A. Smith Bowman distillery, one that aims at moving the boundaries on American whiskey maturation and methodologies, while staying true to the original distillation principles of founder Abraham Bowman, the great-grandfather of the distillery’s founder, Abram Smith Bowman.
The Oak Series nests under the umbrella of Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Collection whiskeys, which began in 2010 with a Abraham Bowman Rye release. Subsequent releases from the Abraham Bowman Collection feature experimentation with mashbills, maturation techniques, proof points, secondary finishes, and more.
Specifically, the Oak Series dives into using a variety of oaks during the cask maturation, as well as varying the levels of char within those casks. This 2024 inaugural release, Abraham Bowman French Oak, uses an undisclosed mashbill that’s matured in a series of French oak barrels—with and without char—for 12 years.
“French Oak is teaching us that experimenting with wood can bring some exciting nuances to the flavor profile of a distillate,” said A. Smith Bowman head distiller David Bock in a written statement. “These barrels sat for an extended period of time to maximize the differences among them. Once blended together, the vanilla from the no-char barrels helps balance out the pepper notes from the charred barrels, creating a dynamic and delicious blend.”
Abraham Bowman French Oak Whiskey At a Glance:
Distillery Name: A. Smith Bowman
Age: 12 years
ABV: 50%
Cask: French oak, some with char, some without
SRP: $99
Bottles Available: 2,000
Quick tasting notes: caramel, cherry, French oak, cinnamon, and candied orange citrus
Overall Thoughts: A decadent and delicious dram that reminds you of Cinnamon Toast Crunch topped with cherries and a drizzle of caramel. It’s sublime neat, but strong enough to shine in a cocktail, such as an Old Fashioned.
How We Tasted This
We tried Abraham Bowman French Oak neat, at room temperature, from a Glencairn glass. After a few sips, we added a few drops of water to open up the whiskey. We repeated this tasting process three times.
What’s Abraham Bowman French Oak Smell Like?
Caramel and cherry abound on the nose, which starts off sweet and soft. There’s floralness to the start of the nose, and candied orange citrus pops up underneath. Spice notes from char (we presume) show up to the party a little later in the sniff, too. Those spicier notes move into mint, then fade off into a whiff of new French oak.
What’s Abraham Bowman French Oak Taste Like?
It’s beautifully thick, so the first sensation on the palate is your mouth getting coated in this liquid. The first notes that come to the fore are sweet vanilla, toffee, and candied cherries. If you chew on it for a second, you’ll get pops of peppercorn and cinnamon, before it gives way to some char spice that shows up mid-palate. The spice here is a little shouty, but never overbearing. There’s a moment where the liquid dries the mouth a touch, then fades off into salted caramel candies and a hint of rose petals, due to the uncharred French oak.
As it slides down, despite being from Virginia, it gives you a warm Kentucky hug—that warming sensation in the middle of your chest. The finish is delightfully long, moving from leather and rye spice into a creamy sweetness. It’s a loose finish, taking you from baking chocolate into tobacco, then ends on a sweet vanilla syrup note that’s a little floral.
Final Thoughts on Abraham Bowman French Oak
In the glass, the sturdy legs from swishing around the beautiful amber-hued whiskey linger for eons, turning to individual drops the longer it sits. Staring at the liquid in the glass is mesmerizing as you taste. But that overall flavor profile cannot be beat. It’s creamy and decadent, and the caramel that rushes to the fore plays very nicely into the oak and pepper notes. It’s a perfect blend. While we didn’t try this in a cocktail—it was too delicious neat to meld with anything else—it would be a hero of mixed drink, including an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan, or a Paper Plane.
How to Get a Bottle of Abraham Bowman French Oak
With only 2,000 bottles, supply is extremely limited. To make distribution fair, A. Smith Bowman is running an online lottery that will be open from April 4, 2024 through April 11, 2024. Head to this link to enter. You can only enter once. Anyone in the United States over the age of 21 is welcome to enter, however winners must purchase in person from the A. Smith Bowman gift shop within three weeks of winning. The winners will be randomly selected on April 15, 2024 and notified by email immediately after.
And in case you’re thinking of entering and having someone close to Virginia pick up your bottle, should you be a lucky winner, think again. A. Smith Bowman requires the name on the ID card to match the name of the winner drawn from the lottery. So no sending other parties to grab a bottle.
