Normally a modern bourbon is some mixture of corn and other ingredients. In this case, Tuthilltown Spirits makes their Baby Bourbon from 100% local New York grown corn. After Gable’s overview, we dove right into tasting the whiskey and that’s when Hudson Whiskey won me over. I enjoyed every single whiskey I tried that night – even the Baby Bourbon. Each whiskey was so distinctly different and unique compared to other bourbons on the market. The flavor profiles were a huge change in pace compared to what I’m used to and they really agreed with me. Knowing that the Hudson Whiskey line consists of very young spirits I’ve definitely changed how I think about aging when it comes to bourbon.

Whiskey enthusiasts looking for unique handcrafted whiskeys have seen a surge in craft distilleries in recent years. Tuthilltown Spirits was founded in 2007 as a small business by three college friends who wanted to make a whiskey that reflected their rural roots and community. Large investments into the marketing and distilling equipment occurred almost immediately. The increase in capacity allowed Hudson to lay down more whiskey and with that came the ability to fill up much larger barrels. Hudson bourbon is a type of bourbon that is made in New York. It is a very smooth bourbon that has a lot of flavor. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good bourbon to drink. Hudson knows that they can’t rely on a rebranding alone to sell new bottles, so a vast marketing team was assembled. Whatever went on during their brainstorming sessions, some of the most impressive looking media boxes that I’ve ever seen came out as a result.Okay, so we know “straight bourbon whiskey” has been aged over two years and we know “bourbon whiskey” has not met that legal requirement. Is it even worth seeking out bourbon without the “straight” moniker? Yes. There are nuances and innovations happening that are upending the norm and leading to wholly new expressions. They’re not going to bear the slowly unfolding qualities of a 15-year-old Pappy, but they’ll certainly grab your interest. Illinois’ FEW Bourbon is a unique expression. The mash of corn and Northern rye with a slight dose of malt adds a very North-meets-South feel to the spirit. The juice is then aged in barrels that range in size from five to 30 gallons. The final ripple is the wood used in the barreling, Minnesota oak. That particular species grows much faster than other oaks and has a much tighter grain, making absorption broader in the smaller format. The facility itself dates to 1788, when the eponymous Mr. Tuthill founded a grist mill to supply flour and other grains to the local region. The area became known as Tuthilltown (although that won’t help if you put that in Google – try Gardiner, NY instead) and is the quintessential bucolic New York location. De manière globale, la maturation est relativement courte, mais compensée par une interaction plus forte entre le bois et le liquide. After a slumber of 6 to 24 months, Hudson Baby Bourbon Whiskey is brought to proof before each bottle is filled, sealed and numbered by hand. The bourbon has strong notes of sweet corn, vanilla and caramel intermingled with oak, which give it a fragrant and slightly floral aroma. Hudson Baby Bourbon earned the Silver Medal at the 2012 International Wines & Spirits Competition and the Double Gold Medal at the 2011 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In addition, it earned a score of 91 points from the Beverage Testing Institute.

Nose: Wow, this smells young. The raw, grainy note is reminiscent of other distillery’s White Dog (unaged spirit). The “breadiness” of the nose gives way to astringent, green notes. Hudson Baby Bourbon was discontinued in 2017. The bourbon was distilled by Tuthilltown Spirits in New York. Hudson Bourbon Review We deliver to a number of international destinations including the USA. Please use the 'Change Location' link above for an estimate in your local currency or find out more about international delivery Ownership changes came when Tuthilltown Distillery (the name of the distillery that makes Hudson products) was bought out by Scottish distilling giant William Grant & Sons in the spring of 2017. WG&S saw the potential in having an American Distillery in their portfolio and saw that Hudson Distilling had a lot of room to grow.Previously they had been using barrels as small as 3 gallons but now they were able to switch to the 53-gallon variety. The underlying message of the switch was meant to signal that they intended to age their products for much longer now. Hudson Baby Bourbon is an interesting expression, aged in small 2 gallon barrels and “sonically matured”. Yes, you read it right! The 100% corn spirit and the casks get some agitation with the help of bass speakers. Every bottle has been hand-filled and numbered, and sealed with a wax. No carbon or chill filtration has been used. The distillery re-branded their core lineup in late 2020 as the new whiskey came of age. Gone was the 100% corn mashbill that Hudson Baby Bourbon used and in its place was a new mashbill that uses 95% corn and 5% malted barley. Bright Lights, Big City Opening mine up revealed a hat, t-shirt, canvas bag, enameled shaker, brass bottle opener and two bottles of their whiskey. The box felt like opening up a new pair of shoes and was very impressive to receive. If I could award their marketing team a gold star, I would. This is how bourbon matures. This is how bourbon develops its complexity and reduces its harshness. This is not what happens at any step of the process when making Hudson Baby Bourbon. The music they blast at these barrels (ugh) is nothing more than marketing. It doesn’t magically age their whiskey because it just doesn’t work.

But as with any bourbon it all comes down to the taste. So how did Hudson’s Baby Bourbon fair in my personal review? Let’s read on to find out…

Hudson Baby Bourbon

This corn whiskey has personality, even though it isn’t quite ready yet. The producers of this American bourbon have done things their way, uncompromising yet experimenting. Writing their story in a unique and interesting way. Yep, it’s made from 100% corn. By definition, bourbon has to be made from at least 51% corn but you don’t really find bourbons on the market made from 100% corn. Another interesting detail is that the bourbon is aged in 3-gallon barrels instead of the industry standard 53-gallon barrels. They’re still new charred oak barrels but just smaller so the wood to liquid ratio is higher which adds a good wood component to the whiskey despite it’s young age. The bourbon is then aged for about 3 months before it’s bottled and sent out for our enjoyment. Finish: After the sip is complete, my mouth starts to dry out leaving behind more harsh, young, green wood notes. The sweetness has now completely evaporated and I find myself wanting to stop drinking this after only a couple of tastes. Score: 2/10 Seriously, we’re not making any of this up. The process and science produce exact results every single time. No angel’s share. No opening up barrels to taste year after year, hoping they pop. Lix, of course, has won a slew of awards from both the engineering community and for his whiskeys.

We're not making whiskey the 'traditional' way, as defined for 80 years by the big whiskey producers," says Erenzo. "We are making it the way their grandfathers made it. We do all the work, hands-on, from scratch. All of our product is hand-made."Reservoir Distillery’s Hunter & Scott Bourbon is a shining example of the distillery’s craft and style. Their main line is renowned for a grain-to-glass experience of local Virginia crops (all sourced less than 40 miles from the distillery) and having 100-percent mash bills for the wheat, rye, and bourbon whiskeys. This expression is the best of all worlds and blends the wheat, rye, and bourbon into one bottle — each aged one-and-a-half to two years.