Caramel | Candy apple | Toasted almond | Light

Zesty spice upfront | Fresh baked bread | Butterscotch | Caramel cream | Light oak | Medium body with a sticky mouthfeel

Baking spices | Cinnamon spice | Caramel | Maple sugar candy | Nutty undertone develops | Nicely balanced | Medium length

In the summer of 2023 Still Austin Whiskey Co. introduced a new, ongoing “Seasonal Bottled in Bond Series” with plans to release a different bottled in bond whiskey for each of the four seasons of the year. Each release is intended to capture the ingredients, flavors, and themes of its respective season, with labels showcasing unique artwork from Marc Burckhardt, with animals and colors intended to conjure the mood of the particular season. Releases will be various styles of whiskey, with the two previous editions being bourbons; the Summer 2023 release was a bourbon made with red corn and the Fall 2023 release was a high rye bourbon (though it actually contained less rye than this edition). Third in the series, the Winter 2023 release features a mashbill that includes 26% blue corn. Blue corn is known to be rich, sweet, and nutty, with its blue color coming from anthocyanins, a class of pigment widely found in fruits and vegetables and found in other things such as dark berries, grapes, plums, and apples.

Still Austin has a knack for making whiskeys with a rich flavor band, and this bourbon is no exception. It starts off with a light aroma, but the sip brings the flavor, with a nice mix of spice and sweet notes delivered with a sticky mouthfeel. A nutty undertone develops early in the finish, laying a bed for a persistent but evolving mix of sweet flavors with a spicy accent. The blue corn essence comes through, as the bourbon is more dominantly sweet than spicy, develops a nutty undertone as it progresses, and remains rich throughout. It’s a non-traditional bourbon in nature though, and hailing from Texas exudes a bit of grit Texas bourbons can be known for. While I do enjoy finished bourbons, it is refreshing to see Still Austin Whiskey Co. pushing the boundaries of bourbon flavor profiles by altering the mashbill and taking advantage of their region.