The Burning Chair Bourbon Review
In-Depth Review
Dave Phinney’s name may not ring too many bells for the average whisky drinker (hell, many not even for the most hardcore among us) but his renown is etched into Napa Valley wine making lore. Responsible for creating The Prisoner label, Phinney led a seismic shift in the wine industry through his distinctive approach to business and his famous blends. Eventually this led him to sell his brands and assets for over $300 million! With all that extra cash, he has since expanded beyond wine and is trying his hand in the spirits world with his new brand named Savage & Cook.
As part of the Savage & Cook portfolio, Phinney is releasing a 4-year bourbon finished in Napa Valley red wine barrels. Seems like a match made in heaven, right? But with an unremarkable bottle design that features a dark and ambiguous label (not to mention a strange cork design) many may overlook this bottle while perusing their local whisky shelves. But not to worry! I have secured a bottle and will try and uncover the mysteries of Dave Phinney’s latest experiment. Has he hit gold with this 44% ABV 4-year expression? Or should the wine master stick to vineyards?
Age: 4 Years
ABV: 44%
Cask: New American oak then finished in cabernet barrels
MSRP: $50
Distillery Name: Savage & Cook
Review Date: 2/15/22
Color: Old gold – unusual because it features no visible red tinge from the finishing.
Nose: The nose starts with big, sweet red fruits and fresh cut pink flowers. There’s an immediate burst of red wine influence, with apple, raspberry jam, and praline. The nose is bigger than I expected. There’s a touch of rosewater and simple syrup hiding in the background. Then comes the classic notes that typically come with red wine finished bourbon - wood shavings and burnt toast.
Palate: While the nose felt big and bold, the palate was soft and gentle, leaning into an easy-going sweetness throughout. Notes of milk chocolate, hazelnut, and baked apple. The texture is fabulous, perhaps one of the better ones I have had this year. It’s delicate yet chewy. The wine finish is present, but not overbearing. There is still the dry wood element I find on many wine finished bourbons, but more elegantly executed than I typically experience.
Finish: There’s more going on in the finish than the palate. More heat and spice are complimented by bolder flavors of oak and sugared berries. It’s a medium length finish with a building heat that finishes with notes of allspice and burnt toffee.
Final Thoughts: With Burning Chair, you can feel that there was a deft hand at work here. While many bourbons go too far with red wine finishing, this expression was just enough to add intrigue without fundamentally altering the spirit of the whisky. It’s easy to identify that this is still a bourbon after all – a damn good one, in fact. The excellent mouthfeel and bolder finish were the stand out components for me, with the palate failing to deliver some of the flavors that the nose promised. The wine finishing seemed to smooth out any of the brittleness or spikey notes on an otherwise relatively young whisky. This may be the best wine finished bourbon I’ve had in a long time, and shows that Dave Phinney’s skills go far beyond his luxurious Napa Valley red wines.
