In 1834 a Scottish chemist called James Crow invented the sour mash process. Or it might be better to say, he perfected and explained the process as it was probably something that some distillers were doing before. In the sour mash process a portion of the last ferment is added to the next to get things going rather like with sourdough bread, only better because you end up with whiskey. This raises the acidity of the fermentation which makes it hard for bacteria to survive so you’re less likely to get spoilage. The sour mash process meant getting a consistent ferment every time. The whole situation has a stench to it that one side is lying and the other side is trying to expose them. So it is with that in mind that I got my very own bottle of Hudson Baby Bourbon to finally settle this once and for all. I sampled it neat in a glencairn. Tasting Notes With a bit of ice, nothing really changes. All of the flavors that were there originally remain there, which is not the typical experience. Usually when you add a bit of ice it tones down the stronger flavors and mellows things out a bit, but in this case there might not be anything to mellow out. The flavors were deliciously balanced to begin, so the ice just cools it down. Seriously, we’re not making any of this up. The process and science produce exact results every single time. No angel’s share. No opening up barrels to taste year after year, hoping they pop. Lix, of course, has won a slew of awards from both the engineering community and for his whiskeys. So what was the point of that story? It makes me think that all is not right with this brand. For every review that calls it out for being young, astringent, ethanol-forward and unpleasant, there is a one where the reviewers claims their eyes have been opened to just how great this whiskey is and how it’s changed their views on the brand.

Why? Well, it’s generally accepted that four years is the prime spot for many bourbons to age. But for whiskey to legally be called “bourbon”— sans the “straight” part — it simply has to touch new American oak for… really any amount of time, up to two years. That can ( and sometimes does) mean a matter of minutes. These days, bourbons that age less than two years are often called “young bourbon” or just “bourbon whiskey.” This has a lot to do with the fact the distillate doesn’t get pushed into the oak as much or as long during the summer months as it would in a hotter climate. I figure that if it was given enough time, it could achieve the desired effect. But for a bourbon that is 3 years old, it is nowhere close to achieving that quality just yet. Some craft distilleries realize it themselves and end up abandoning their old methods for new ones once they reach a spot where they can adjust without completely going underwater. That usually comes with a rebrand/reboot much like what Hudson has done here. Cleveland Underground has the most interesting story of any modern bourbon. Whiskey innovator Tom Lix developed a new way to age whiskey in hours instead of years. The short of it is this: The hot juice goes into a new American oak barrel to meet legal requirements denoting bourbon. Then the juice, oak staves, and finishing wood chunks go into a proprietary pressure-cooker-like device where a vacuum is created and oxygen-rich air is pumped in forcing the liquid literally through the grains of the wood over and over again until the whiskey is fully “aged.” This process takes about 24 hours.

Who Makes Hudson Baby Bourbon?

Palate: More of the same from the nose. The flavors are young and grainy with a sharp sting of ethanol and artificial sweetener. The notes are harsh and astringent, reminding me of acne cleaners from my teenage years. There are fruits here, but they’re mainly unripe apples. There’s little sweetness overall. I also find an acidic note like coffee grounds as well. That was a taste that confused me. On a positive note, the young, grainy scents that I found in previous Hudson products have been toned down considerably with this release.

This is how bourbon matures. This is how bourbon develops its complexity and reduces its harshness. This is not what happens at any step of the process when making Hudson Baby Bourbon. The music they blast at these barrels (ugh) is nothing more than marketing. It doesn’t magically age their whiskey because it just doesn’t work. Hudson Baby Bourbon is a craft bourbon made by Hudson Whiskey, a New York-based distillery. The company was founded in 2010 by Ralph Erenzo and Brian Lee, who are also behind the successful Tuthilltown Spirits distillery. Hudson Baby Bourbon is made with a mash bill of 60% corn, 30% rye, and 10% malted barley. The whiskey is aged for at least nine months in new, charred oak barrels. The facility itself dates to 1788, when the eponymous Mr. Tuthill founded a grist mill to supply flour and other grains to the local region. The area became known as Tuthilltown (although that won’t help if you put that in Google – try Gardiner, NY instead) and is the quintessential bucolic New York location. Hudson bourbon is a type of bourbon that is made in New York. It is a very smooth bourbon that has a lot of flavor. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good bourbon to drink. The perfectly round shape is another smart move. Take Tahwahkaro for example, they tried a similar move with a wide bottle trying to get more shelf appeal than other new whiskies. But because they made their bottle thinner in depth as well as wider in width, store owners are likely to slot it in sideways, completely obscuring the label and making it actually harder to see. The perfectly round shape of Tuthilltown’s bottles, though, forces store owners to play ball and display the way they intended.

Final Thoughts

Nose: Sweet creamed corn scents butt up against youthful notes like green wood, sharp cinnamon and lots of botanical scents. The rest of the nose has pretty standard traits of caramel sauce and some light vanilla. After Gable’s overview, we dove right into tasting the whiskey and that’s when Hudson Whiskey won me over. I enjoyed every single whiskey I tried that night – even the Baby Bourbon. Each whiskey was so distinctly different and unique compared to other bourbons on the market. The flavor profiles were a huge change in pace compared to what I’m used to and they really agreed with me. Knowing that the Hudson Whiskey line consists of very young spirits I’ve definitely changed how I think about aging when it comes to bourbon.