Like a little kid waiting for Christmas Morning, I’d been waiting to find and sample Forbidden, created by Master Distiller Marianne Eaves. She cut her teeth as heir-apparent at Woodford Reserve under Chris Morris before leaving to help start-up Castle and Key. I’d missed the first batch, but was lucky to receive a bottle of Batch #2 as a gift.
The Tasting
The website shares the bourbon is made from a mash bill of 75% white corn, 12% white wheat, and 13% malted barley. Production of this small batch bourbon is limited to 50 barrels - ½ of which have come from her former home at Castle & Key - and ½ from Bardstown Bourbon Company. The finished product has been proofed to 95.2 proof.
We’re told to expect sweet vanilla, red fruit, citrus, baking spices, and nutty notes with a sweet finish. The presentation is impressive, in a heavy, fluted, 8-pointed star-shaped bottle. Similar to the bottles from Castle & Key, this gets a gold star for presentation.
Eye: Golden honey with evenly spaced legs around the Glencairn glass.
Nose: The nose is sweet, with caramel, frosted sugar cookie, and snickerdoodle notes.
Palate: A thinner mouthfeel, laden with vanilla and buttery cornbread made with white cornmeal from Weisenberger Mill.
Finish: Medium-long with oak and spice.
Overall: Priced at $130, this was one I felt I should have liked more. In full disclosure, when we uncorked this to share with family, two promptly gave it a thumbs down rating with “medicinal notes”, while a third gave a “meh”.
To be fair, I’ve gone back to this bottle on several occasions to nose, sip, and gather my thoughts. While I didn’t pick up some of the bitter and more medicinal notes that my family did, it failed to really strike my palate (somewhat similar to a recent review of Traveller Whiskey).
I honor Marriane and all that she has achieved. The bourbon, however, probably made from barrels in the 3-5 year range, left me a little wanting. Some of the releases from Castle & Key have been a bit of a “miss” for me, though others produced there - like Pinhook - have struck a chord. And certainly, some of the bourbons from Bardstown, such as the Fusion releases as well as Bardstown Origin Series (high rye and wheated) have been outstanding.
Am I glad I tried it? Yes. Glad to have it in the display case? Yes. Would I offer it to friends? Sure. Recommend? Mixed. You should try it for yourself and see what you think. From a value aspect, I could purchase nearly 2 bottles of Fusion, nearly 3 bottles of Origin, or 2 bottles of Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel.