Maple syrup | Brown sugar | Tree bark | Light charred oak | Faint vanilla | Touch of star anise 

Table syrup | Brown butter | Light rye spice | Maple candy | Oak | Dab of leather 

Light leather | Syrup | Oak | White peppercorn spice | Sprinkle of brown sugar | Short

Decadence is an annual limited release from Widow Jane. The company takes decade old bourbon and finishes it in American oak barrels that previously held Crown Maple Syrup for an undisclosed amount of time. Crown Maple Estate is based in the Hudson Valley in New York State and is the state’s largest maple syrup producer. 

This year’s release of Widow Jane Decadence is a mix of sweet and earthy. The bourbon starts by highlighting the time it spent in the maple syrup finishing barrels, thanks to an aroma that accentuates maple syrup and brown sugar, along with tree bark and light charred oak. This combination of sweet and earthy continues on to the midpoint, which displays table syrup, brown butter, and maple candy resting on top of oak and leather. The finish wraps up quickly, displaying light leather and oak along with syrup and a white peppercorn spice that adds variety. 

While some maple syrup barrel finished whiskeys can be overly sweet, this isn’t the case for Widow Jane Decadence. Instead, the bourbon clearly highlights the influence of the maple syrup barrel, but in a more passive way, finding a nice balance between the whiskey’s age and the sweetness maple syrup affords. This is also the whiskey’s downfall, as it isn’t sure if it should lean heavily into its time in the initial oak barrel or its time in the maple syrup barrel. In the end, the bourbon displays nice balance and is a pleasing sip; however, if you’re chasing after a more prominent maple syrup influenced sip, you’ll need to look elsewhere.