Central Ohio Whiskey Society (COWS) Gets Its Start

On a beautiful early October evening several people made their way to downtown Columbus to The Buckeye Bourbon House (BBH) for the first meeting of the Central Ohio Whiskey Society. The anticipation of the group was in the meeting of new friends and old but the flight of 3 whiskeys, they were going to get to taste blind, was what brought them to BBH.

After the bourbon flavor wheel was handed out and explanation of the scoring criteria was completed (aroma 0-2, flavor profile 0-3, drinkability 0-3, uniqueness 0-2) the flights were delivered and the group got to tasting blind.

Selection 1 – The group overwhelming tasted brown spice of either black pepper or cinnamon. This also explains the several members that tasted the rye. Also, the taste of oak showed up for many as did caramel. A couple tasted vanilla and one reviewer tasted corn and almond. The average score was 6.7 with a high score of 9 and a low score of 5.

Selection 2 – As the group moved to the next selection they experienced something different than the first tasting. Most tasted an oak and corn heavy taste profile. Many also tasted caramel and vanilla. There was one that tasted geranium, another butterscotch and yet another tasted cooked peach. The average score was 6.5 with a high score of 9 and a low score of 4.

Selection 3 – The last selection was a sweet bomb by most of the reviewers. The vast majority tasted butterscotch with others tasting caramel and honey. One taster did catch a black pepper spice and one other tasted apple. The average score was 6.3 with a high score of 8 and a low of 4.

The Reveal – After all the tasters had their time to spend reviewing the flight, the Buckeye Bourbon House staff brought the 3 whiskeys out in bags and then made the reveal. Some shocked people were in the crowd especially with selection 2 and 3. They were as follows:

• Selection 1 was Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Strength
• Selection 2 was Eagle Rare 10 Year
• Selection 3 was Heaven Hill Quality House Old Style (White Label)

A very fun and successful meeting was had by all. The next meeting will be Wednesday November 13th starting at 5:30pm at The Buckeye Bourbon House. If you want to get more information or if you want to get your name on the list for the next meeting stay tuned to ColumbusBourbon or drop an email to eric@columbusbourbon.com