Crème brûlée | Vanilla cream | Almond paste

Apricot jam | Graham cracker | Cinnamon slurry | Mellow oak

Tropical fruit | Toasted coconut | Cereal grain | Toasted oak | Rye spice

Seven Three Distilling Company opened in 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their goal is “to capture the unmistakable flavor of this one-of-a-kind American city by crafting spirits with a sense of place.” Beyond their newly launched Whiskey Tree Bourbon brand, the distillery produces gin, rum, moonshine, and vodka.

Whiskey Tree High Rye Straight Bourbon consists of 8.5 year old Kentucky sourced bourbon with one year of that time aged in New Orleans. It was also finished in new and used barrels for an undisclosed amount of time.

Whiskey Tree High Rye Straight Bourbon sports a unique flavor profile that you wouldn’t expect from a high-rye bourbon. Though some traditional bourbon flavors pull through, they are quickly forgotten in favor of the more unusual ones. It starts with a big crème brûlée scent against softer vanilla cream and almond paste that work surprisingly well together. From there, the palate offers apricot jam, graham cracker, and a nicely tempered cinnamon slurry note. The finish is the real star, with an array of nondescript tropical fruits at the onset, along with toasted coconut, cereal grain, and toasted oak.  

Being another sourced high-rye bourbon from Kentucky isn’t by itself something to get excited about. However, it seems the extra time in the humid New Orleans climate and the time it spent finishing in new and used bourbon barrels was beneficial. The unique flavors work well together and result in an enjoyable pour that will likely capture your interest with a reasonable price point to boot.

The bottle in review is from batch 1.