Jeffersons Ocean Voyage 23 vs 24

Hi everyone, I haven’t really posted in about 8 months or so - took a long time off my bourbon journey. Last year was the beginning and so I was a genuine tater by the definition in these reddit posts- I tried to find all the bottles that every other person likes to find when they start drinking bourbon. I went through most of the buffalo trace bottles (Eagle rare is ok, Blanton’s is ok, EHT is ok, BT is ok), tried Old Forester 1910 and 1920 (awful and awful), tons of Knob Creek (12 year was great, 12 year CS is strong, a 10 year store pick Sib was nice but a little hot), Makers Mark CS and SE4 PR5 (didn’t like at all), etc. Bottles I really enjoyed last year were Stagg Jr. batch 12 and 14, 4R LE 2020, SW Uncut (maybe one of my top 3), KC 12, MWND Act 8, scene 3, Angels Envy Rye, Willet 4 year Rye, among others.

So when I came across the chance to finally try Jefferson’s Ocean Aged At Sea last night at a friend’s house I was really excited. I know many people have commented that its a total scam of a story or just bs marketing gimmick, some say its overpriced. Me? I think its about as good a 90 proof bourbon as I’ve had and I would immediately add this to my ‘must have on the shelf for every day enjoyment’. I went through a period of trying all the high proof, barrel proof, cask strength stuff and it was total fraud - I was trying to hard to be something I’m not. I do occasionally enjoy working my way up in proof from a 90 to a 100 and then maybe a stiff pour of Stagg Jr. But generally speaking, I’m finding the 90-100 space to be ideal and no more forcing a neat pour. I’m enjoying the flavor as the bourbon sits over a giant ice ball or cube.

I’m not going to add fancy words like Approachable and Complex - first, it’s an inanimate object that sits on a shelf - of course its approachable. And its not complex - it has about 3 ingredients that matter. If you want complex, go try making a real Indian curry or lamb vindaloo. That’s complex with 23 spices. Lets leave the fancy words to our poetry classes. I’m going to call this bourbon tasty with a little hint of that great caramel/brown sugar/vanilla flavor we all love. I can’t possibly say there were 10 different notes that hit 3 parts of my tongue or comment on any mouthfeel - it felt like I had bourbon in my mouth and I liked it.

I’m giving it an 8 on the Chilldawg21 scale - that only means that its better than a 7 but not as good as a 9 but worth the price in my mind :)

Verified brands can request spirit detail updates like images, product information and descriptions. Please fill out the form below to start the verification process.

Note: Changes to scores and tasting notes will not be accepted.

Note: All the form field are required!

What we’re drinking: Jefferson’s OCEAN Voyage 24, the newest expression in the Jefferson’s OCEAN: Aged at Sea collection and one that’s taken on a unique new journey.

Where it’s from: Jefferson’s Bourbon, a Kentucky distillery that’s been experimenting with the maturation process of whiskey for 25 years. With their Aged at Sea releases, matured bourbon (usually about 6-8 years old) is placed in small barrels and loaded onto special cargo ships; from there, the whiskey sails around the globe through different seasons, extreme temperature fluctuations and with a lot of agitation from the ocean.

Why we’re drinking this: “For me, it’s never about distillation,” as Jefferson’s founder Trey Zoeller tells us. “I can always make or get my on great distillate. What intrigued me was about what we can do with it afterwards.”

Jefferson’s Bourbon founder Trey Zoeller

Jefferson’s

Unlike previous Ocean releases, 24’s barrels traveled exclusively through ports in the Caribbean and Central America.

“We’d done basically the exact same [global] route for each release,” Zoeller explains. “But the original voyage, when we put it out, that was all new-fill bourbon, three and a half years, and it was exposed to all heat all the time. That one was so dark, so viscous and so enjoyable. I decided to see what we could do to recreate that.”

While this release did spend much less time out on the waters (and also started with matured spirit), the hope was that high heat (96-126 degrees at all times), lots of humidity, more exposed barrels and even crossing paths with Storm Elsa would recreate some of those initial flavors.

“The heat and agitation really opens up the barrel and makes it porous,” as Zoeller explains. “We use a No. 2 char so the char isn’t masking flavors when the bourbon is getting into the wood so deep.”

How it tastes: While the “salty caramel popcorn” flavor profile of the initial Ocean release isn’t recreated, the new bottle certainly has the vanilla and caramel notes amplified — and a little bit of dark fruit is noticeable after a few sips. Voyage 24 is also more viscous than your average bourbon release, even at a modest 90 proof.

While I miss the hint of salinity in some prior releases, 24 is an incredibly easy sipping bourbon with a nice kick. It’s not going to redefine the category, but it does have a unique character that plays up the notes that I usually look for in a bourbon.

“We’ve sent these releases off to labs to have them broken down molecularly,” Zoeller says. “And they’re vastly different from what sits here in Kentucky.”

Some Voyage 24 barrels were covered on the trip, but others were more exposed to the elements and heat

Jefferson’s

Fun fact: I asked Zoeller about his favorite of the 24 Aged at Sea releases. “I think it was release number 13 — the ships got pounded by three different name storms in the North Atlantic. We lost 63% of the whiskey due to evaporation, so it was a small yield. But it was so condensed, really briny, and quite an outlier. It really showcased how much salt permeates the barrel.” (For future releases, Jefferson’s is looking at everything from Antarctica to perhaps spending more time in rougher waters, such as in the Tasmanian Sea.)

Where to buy: Jefferson’s OCEAN Aged at Sea Voyage 24 is available nationwide for $79.99.

shop here

More Like This

• Does “Small Batch” Whiskey Actually Mean Anything?

• Review: Jefferson’s New Rye Redefines the Category

• The 9 Reasons Trey Zoeller Is America’s Most Inventive Whiskey Maker

This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.

The post Review: How Ocean Air and High Heat Shaped Jefferson’s Best Whiskey Yet appeared first on InsideHook.

The article Review: How Ocean Air and High Heat Shaped Jefferson’s Best Whiskey Yet by Kirk Miller was originally published on InsideHook.

Is Jefferson's Ocean rare?

What voyage is Jefferson ocean on?

How long is Jefferson's Reserve very old aged?

How is Jefferson Ocean aged?