The Expensive Bourbon That's Aged At Sea

The rules for bourbon, a liquor often made in Kentucky, are a little more strict than the rules for whiskey: It has to be made in the United States, it has to be made of at least 51% corn mash, and it has to be stored in a white oak barrel that hasn't been used to hold other spirits. But there is still plenty of room to futz around and make something truly interesting, which leads us to Jefferson's Ocean Aged At Sea Bourbon: a pricey liquor that is, as the name suggests, aged on the high seas. Does that make it a good drink? That depends on who you ask, but it certainly makes it an interesting one.

Jefferson's is a bourbon distillery founded — where else? — in Louisville, Kentucky, by one Trey Zoeller. According to the company website, one of Zoeller's ancestors was arrested in 1799 for making moonshine, which is as good a sign as any that making liquor runs in his blood. (Back in the day, of course, North Carolina was the bourbon capital of America.) But where he and his great-great-great (with five more "great"s) grandmother differ is that Jefferson's has a habit of using unusual methods to make their products. Case in point: Aged At Sea Bourbon.

While bourbon has to be made in America, there's no rule that says it can't be aged elsewhere. So what Jefferson's does is load barrels of their bourbon onto a ship and send it all across the globe, letting it age as it goes. The idea is that the motion of the ocean causes more interaction between the bourbon and the barrel, while the wildly varying climates the ship sails through give the bourbon a character all its own.

As selling points go, it's a pretty great one. While the bourbon itself doesn't mind one way or another (being non-sentient and all), there's something wonderfully romantic about sailing around the world, picking up the character of wherever it is you go. It's nice to think your bourbon is living its best "Moby-Dick" life. And plenty of bourbon lovers have noted that it really does have a different flavor profile from landlubber bourbon. But is it worth the hefty price tag, somewhere between $50 and $80? Your (nautical) mileage may vary.

Although there are lots of positive reviews for this bourbon online, at least one expert isn't as impressed. Chris Walster, a whisky expert for The Cask Connoisseur, told Chowhound that he wouldn't buy Jefferson's Aged At Sea himself. "Many feel the high price doesn't justify the underwhelming and inconsistent flavor profile." And it's true that, by leaving things like temperature to chance, you're not always going to get the same result with every bottle you buy — which isn't exactly the best thing in the world if each bottle costs $80. Some batches tasted strongly bitter, while others were merely lightly sweet. Indeed, it appeared on The Takeout's list of bourbons not worth buying. But then again, you are the master of your own destiny, and if you're sufficiently intrigued, it's definitely worth a shot.

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