St. Cloud X Series Abstrak #2 Review
In-Depth Review
After reading about the mysterious St. Cloud distillery, I may know even less than before I started. St. Cloud, a purveyor of American spirits, considers themselves an “Art House”, with an unusual approach to making whisky. With high fashion label designs, the god Hermes as their logo, and a founder who comes from the wine industry in France, it may come as no surprise that reading through their website is an adventure. It’s truly like experiencing one of those high-brown fragrance ads you see on TV, with Johnny Depp is seemingly lost in a desert and the camera moving so fast and in so many directions you think you may have developed vertigo.
To give you a flavor of what I mean, here is an excerpt from their site about their philosophy.
“SAINT CLOUD is a dynamic blank canvas, committed to providing singular experiences. We love to do things differently. Quality is nothing without direction, and direction is lost without identity. We produce nuanced and beguiling Kentucky Bourbon with a focus on aromatic signature, luscious mouthfeel, and complex finishes.
We embrace the intangibles, the fine details. By allowing the barrels to tell their own story, we accept a larger dynamic range of aromas and flavors. Through focusing on quality rather than a specific profile set, we are dedicating ourselves to the pursuit of excellence over a potential wider market acceptance. There is both beauty and emotion within the Art that we are bringing to SAINT CLOUD.
We source barrels from some of the finest distilleries in Kentucky. Our selections are based on individual barrels, not a “house style”. Our Single Barrels are specifically chosen based on their own merits and idiosyncrasies. Our signature blends are viewed as varying shapes, colors, and textures which make up a beautiful mosaic.
There is both beauty and emotion within the Art we bring to SAINT CLOUD”
That was a journey, wasn’t it? But back to the important bits.
Being a non-producing distillery who produces in small quantities, I’ve only rarely seen their expressions in my local shops and have yet to them in a bar. Nevertheless, when I saw this beautiful bottle sitting at K&L in Los Angeles at a significant discount from its $209 MSRP, I decided to take a chance. The expression I’m diving into today is from their “X Series” line and is called Abstrack #2. Aged for 9.5 years before spending 9 months finishing in ex-Sauternes casks, Abtrack #2 comes in at 110 proof and may have one of the most beautiful labels I’ve seen in a long while. Designed by the New York based artist Christopher Florentino “Flore”, it truly stopped me in my tracks. But it’s not just the label – the entire bottle is gorgeous. The topper is weighty, beautiful, and features an icon that feels more appropriately found on a 1920’s Duesenberg than on a bottle of bourbon. Its suggested MSRP of $209 seems outrageous (as does a lot about this whole experience), but let’s dive in and see what kind of bourbon this art house can create!
Age: 9.5 Years + 9 Months in Finishing Casks
ABV: 55%
Cask: Virgin oak then finished in French white oak that previously held Sauternes wine
MSRP: $209.00
Distillery Name: Undisclosed Distillery in Kentucky
Review Date: 4/5/24
Color: Rich Caramel
Nose: The nose starts off with a big brown sugar and caramel character that quickly jumps into milk chocolate and toasted oak. It immediately feels like a deep, rich Kentucky bourbon with all of those classic flavors with a dash of musty red fruit, bready malt, and more barrel char. The nose is dark, vibrant, and full of everything a bourbon drinker is looking for. Excellent nose.
Palate: On the palate, more of the oak pushes through with the first sip being full of toasted wood, char, leather, and some classic caramel and vanilla notes. As the whiskey settles on the tongue, it transforms into Cocoa Puff cereal straight from the box. It gets a bit dry and has a powdered chocolate quality there. Then as it begins to move into the finish, it throws in some pomegranate and cherry for good measure. Overall, the palate here isn’t super sweet and instead is balanced nicely with the strong oak character and gives a good weighty mouthfeel. As I sip on this, my mind wanders to me being inside a hot Kentucky rickhouse in summer.
Finish: Long, drying finish with lots of cayenne pepper heat and some fruity Venezuelan chocolate. I found this to be very drying – probably from all that oak (and perhaps the finishing in ex-wine barrels). After a few sips, the Kentucky hug really makes itself feel known, leaving a nice lingering heat in the chest.
Final Thoughts: I will cut to the chase and say that St. Cloud Abstrak #2 is very good bourbon. While I would struggle to identify it as a finished bourbon, it hits all of those classic Kentucky notes incredibly well. Its finishing is subtle and shouldn’t dissuade anyone who may not have had the best experiences with other potentially over-finished bourbons (cough, cough Angels Envy). I absolutely love the nose, but my only criticism is that I would prefer a touch less oak on the finish. And while there’s a great depth of flavor on the palate, this won’t be taking you on a crazy flavor adventure. St Cloud’s Abstrak #2 is the bottle you turn to when you just want excellent Kentucky bourbon to keep you warm on those cold winter nights.
