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Bourbon Review: 2021 Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon

We review the 2021 release of Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon. Created by Marianne Eaves and backed by Peyton Manning, Andy Roddick, and Jim Nantz, it gets its name from a Tennessee golf course

OVERALL RATING

9
$200.00
  • Carin Moonin is a Portland-based whiskey enthusiast and writer.
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Sweetens Cove Tennessee Bourbon (2021)

Tasting Notes

About:

A blend of Tennessee bourbons aged 4, 6, and 16 years; 113.7 proof; about $200. It’s only available in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, Colorado, and Louisiana.
Appearance:
In the bottle, it’s a ruddy gold but in the glass it’s more greenish gold, like it has a patina. Glossy in the glass, nice legs. It’s also the same color as one of my favorite kombuchas: the Ginger Lemonade one from Costco. Don’t judge.
Nose:
It is subtle. It does not bash you over the head with heady fragrances. Which is fine. It’s introverted; I get that. Brown sugar, browned butter, butterscotch, a just-scraped vanilla bean pod. Red currants. Later sniffs bring new-mown grass and a faint smell of drying paint of a color you really wanted to paint a room and are totally excited about how it’s going to look.
Palate:
This is fascinating, and I love it. There’s an echo of high-ish proof at the finish, but it’s like a flirty mic drop. Before that finish, I get honey but not sickly sweet, brown sugar again but not teeth-hurtingly so. Also: berries, wintergreen, graham crackers, gingersnaps. It’s butterscotch and cookies and fire and fun. It’s got the texture and mouthfeel of a really good s’more. Like there’s a mix of fire and an echo of smoke and prevailing sweetness and smoothness. I did, in fact, find myself wanting s’more of it. (Use your judgement because this ain’t low-proof.). But it’s fun and not like your typical bourbon. Yet it’s not like “wow this is… interesting,” when it’s actually really weird and maybe like a collector’s item you don’t want to drink. I will definitely be drinking this.
Finish:
Comments:
Although its name sounds like a Netflix show I’m embarrassed to admit I watch, I am super, super into Sweetens Cove. Damn. Does this mean I have to try Casamigos tequila now?

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Carin Moonin

Carin Moonin swapped a 5th-floor walkup in Hoboken, NJ, for a house in SE Portland a decade ago and hasn't looked back. She appreciates Portland's vibrant whiskey scene, finding it complements both the weather and her mood. Carin enjoys exploring the diverse world of brown liquor and its many facets. Her writing has been featured in publications such as Salon.com, DailyDot.com, Willamette Week, Portland Monthly, and others. When she's not indulging in whiskey or writing about it, you can find Carin running, reading, or on the hunt for free samples in grocery stores.

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