Introduction
Today, we are checking out Widow Jane Lucky 13. This is the first time we've tried Widow Jane on this podcast (shame on us), and we've had this sample of Widow Jane sitting in our homes for probably two years now.
This is called Lucky 13, indicating a 13-year-old barrel of whiskey. The one you can typically pick up off shelves is a blend, but this one we're doing today is a barrel pick that was picked by the Bourbon Society of Baton Rouge.
We typically don't like to review whiskeys labeled as single barrel because of the variance from barrel to barrel. However, in this case, if we like this, we can recommend it, and what people are getting off the shelves is essentially the small batch version of that. So, there's less variance, and I like doing it this way more than the other way.
The following review is taken from our episode "Modern Times / Widow Jane Lucky 13 Bourbon." Click the link to listen to this review in audio format.
Nose
Bob: This is really spicy on the nose. I like it a lot. It has a ton of oak spice to it. It smells dusty, like a newly charred barrel, but it also has a floral, almost sawed, dusty kind of thing going on. I think there's quite a bit of vanilla on this. It almost reminds me of that rose note I get on Willett products sometimes, but with a much more potent kind of prickly cinnamon to go with it too. I like this a lot on the nose. 8.5/10
Brad: I found a lot of cherry on the nose, along with caramel, vanilla, and oak. The longer I spent time with it, I got a creamsicle, like a really sugary creamy orange note, and then it hit me out of nowhere, like a freight train, with all the peanut butter in the world. This is the creamiest peanut butter nose I've ever smelled on a whiskey. 9/10
Taste
Brad: On the taste, I got a bunch of cherries, caramel, vanilla, and all the nice things. The peanut butter turned into a true peanut flavor for me, but the overwhelming flavor I got was just a really nice hunk of salted butter. It had so much buttery smoothness to it, and the actual flavor reminded me of salted butter. I really enjoyed it. 8.5/10
Bob: I think it stays really spicy and prickly on the palate for me. This is very heavily charred oak, and it reminds me of how an ashtray smells. I don't necessarily mean that in a bad way, but I'm not getting a lot of the sweeter notes you're getting, Brad. For me, the char really takes over and dominates the palate. It's not coming in waves or layers or building up on anything. 7/10
Finish
Brad: For me, the finish really disappears into oak with bits of vanilla and cherry remaining. There's just not enough going on for me to say this is a great experience throughout. 7/10
Bob: The finish is like if you could make the Americanized version of a really heavily peated Scotch. It's very strongly char and ash-forward, like a campfire that got rained on. I want this to be sweeter and more complex, especially at 13 years. 6.5/10
Balance
Bob: I think there is someone out there that this whiskey is for; it is just not Bob Book. Despite my personal preference, I recognize its balance and give it a decent score. 8/10
Brad: It has a really great opening nose and blossoms beautifully but slowly finishes at an average place. There's enough complexity to keep this balance score up. 7.5/10
Value
Bob: Widow Jane Lucky 13 is listed in the state of Ohio at $99. I think $99 seems like a lot of money, but for a 13-year bourbon from a small producer, I understand why the price is $99. Taking that into consideration, is it worth paying $99 for? No, I don't think it is. 6.5/10
Brad: In the world of single barrels, I think if they just worked on the finish a little more, it would be an eight out of 10 value. As it stands, it's a six out of 10. 6/10
Final Scores
Brad: I'm coming to a 38/50.
Bob: I'm at a 36.5/50. We're coming to an average of 37.25/50.
Conclusion
Widow Jane Lucky 13 is a unique whiskey that we cautiously recommend as a try. It's not necessarily a buy, but if you want to try something new at the bar, it's worth a pour. This whiskey is less on the sweet side and more on the spice and char side of things. If that sounds appealing to you, this might be right up your alley. For us, it just didn't hit all the right notes, but it's still a worthwhile drinking experience. If you find it out in the wild, it's definitely worth a try.
