Widow Jane’s The Vaults 2023 Release Features Chinquapin Oak Cask Finish

Posted on by Scott Dilley

The Vaults 2023 is Widow Jane’s first bourbon nationally-released under Sienna Jevremov, Head Distiller and Blender since October 2022

We had an early taste of this release and believe it just might be their best release yet in The Vaults series. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode of Bourbon Lens featuring Elayne Duff, Director of Brand Advocacy for Samson & Surrey (the owner of Widow Jane) where we discuss this 2023 release along with several other excellent releases from the Samson & Surrey portfolio.

Fast Facts on The Vaults 2023:

  • Style: Blend of Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
  • Distilled in: Indiana and Tennessee
  • Proof: 99 (49.5% ABV)
  • Age: 15 Year Old
  • Finish: 3 months in air-seasoned Chinquapin Oak casks.
  • SRP: $249/750 ml
  • Availability: Limited to 2600 total cases
  • Tasting notes:
    • Nose: Toasted marshmallow, pear turnover, honeydew, cinnamon
    • Palate: Honeycomb, butterscotch, raisin, molasses, dried apricots, root beer
    • Finish: Pralines and cream, roasted oolong, black walnut, licorice

Full Details on The Vaults 2023:

Every year around this time, whiskey fans begin making lists of must-have bottles; those rarest of finds coveted by collectors, gifted for the holidays, or slowly sipped in celebration of a special moment.

Since 2019, those lists have included The Vaults, an annual, highly-allocated release from Brooklyn’s Widow Jane Distillery. The 2023 edition is a collection of the distillery’s oldest and rarest whiskeys, from Tennessee and Indiana, aged a minimum of 15 years and meticulously blended, only ever in extremely small batches, before being finished for 3 months in air-seasoned casks at Widow Jane’s Red Hook rickhouse. The Vaults 2023 will hit retail shelves beginning in October. The Vaults 2023 is Widow Jane’s first national bourbon released under the direction and strict supervision of Sienna Jevremov, who was named head distiller and blender in October 2022.

Each release in The Vaults collection is highlighted by bold flavors including those imparted by the specific wood in which it was finished; a different wood every year harvested from various regions and with different amounts of air-seasoning to the staves the casks are raised from. The Vaults 2023’s finishing barrels were made from Chinquapin Oak staves harvested from trees grown on a limestone-rich shelf in Northern Kentucky and air-seasoned for at least 48 months, withstanding the often dramatic shifts in weather conditions typical of the mid-South.

The Vaults allows us to explore the fascinating dimensions of both extended time resting and unique oak choices on the character of bourbon. Blending these exceptional bourbons from our Tennessee and Indiana stocks was a meticulous process, finding gems in the bunch, then layering in flavor through matchmaking of 15-year-old with 20- year-old whiskey. Finally marrying them with the distinct flavors of this slow-growing KY white oak species (Quercus muehlenbergii), the result of which is a spirit that whiskey collectors are sure to treasure.

Sienna Jevremov

As is the case with all Widow Jane whiskeys, The Vaults 2023 is non-chill filtered and proofed with the pure limestone mineral water from the legendary Rosendale Mines of New York, just 100 miles north of the distillery, which contributes to the round mouthfeel and exceptionally long finish.

About Widow Jane Distillery

Widow Jane is an award-winning artisanal distillery located in the New York City neighborhood of Red Hook, Brooklyn. The company is named in homage to one of the legendary mines of Rosendale in Upstate New York, from which the brand sources its proofing water. Before becoming a natural reserve of extraordinary mineral water, the mines produced the natural cement used to construct some of the most iconic American landmarks, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building, among others. The pure, limestone-filtered water from the mine, plus one of the country’s largest holdings of long-aged Bourbons, and a refusal to compromise the product with chill-filtration, are just three elements that make Widow Jane a stand-out whiskey company.

The facility in Red Hook includes distillation, barreling, aging, blending, warehousing and bottling. For more information, visit www.widowjane.com  or find Widow Jane on Instagram @widowjane.

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