Bourbon Lens Thoughts:
Lisa Wicker and the team at Widow Jane are back at it with the latest rendition of the Vaults. When it comes to blending whiskey it doesn’t get much better than what the team does at Widow Jane. Be on the lookout for one of the most underrated big releases of 2022.
Full press release below
Fourth edition of this favorite limited release from the Red Hook, Brooklyn distillery is a blend of Bourbons aged up to 19 years and finished in air-seasoned Missouri Ozark oak casks
RED HOOK, BROOKLYN, NY (OCTOBER 4, 2022) – Widow Jane Distillery announces today that The Vaults 2022, the fourth chapter in a seasonally-released collection of its oldest and rarest whiskey, will hit shelves in October.
The 2022 edition marries bourbons ranging from 14 years up to 19 years-old, that have been hand-selected and set aside in Widow Jane’s Red Hook, Brooklyn rick house by master distiller Lisa Wicker. As ever, The Vaults is produced in hyper-small batches and will be released to the public, in select markets, through the Holidays.
The Vaults 2022 by the numbers:
● 49.5% ABV (99 proof)
● SRP is $250/750 ml
Tasting notes: This complex, rich, long-aged bourbon is characterized by sweet tobacco, leather, vanilla, sarsaparilla, unsweetened cinnamon, cocoa powder, and a hint of seasoned oak campfire.
Releases of The Vaults are highlighted by intense flavors including those imparted by the specific wood in which it was finished. Each installment of The Vaults has explored a different finishing wood, from various regions and with different amounts of air seasoning to the staves. The Vaults 2022 release is finished in casks raised from Missouri Ozark oak that had been air-seasoned for three years. The tight-grain oak delivers hints of vanilla, smoke, and spice. This, on top of the extra old bourbons in the final whiskey, a mix of higher-than-usual proof, and a traditional yet intense bourbon palette, makes for a truly unique sipping experience.
As is the case with all Widow Jane whiskeys, The Vaults 2022 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.
Said Wicker, “An act of congress in 1964 established bourbon as our only true ‘American Spirit’. Tennessee and Indiana bourbons, blended and finished in New York and re-barreled in wood sourced from the Missouri Ozarks – it truly is an American Spirit. The Vaults 2022 represents the craftsmanship of the distillers before me, the warehouse men and women, the farmers and the truck drivers and the Widow Jane team. I have the privilege of finishing and blending exquisite whiskey.”
Lisa Wicker
Widow Jane The Vaults 2022 is under strict allocation and is available at retail starting in October, and through select online retail outlets. A total of 2,000 cases are being released.
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 warehousing, aging, barreling, blending and bottling. For more information, visit www.widowjane.com or find Widow Jane on Instagram @widow_jane
