In today’s review I’ll be having a look at the Remus Gatsby Reserve. A bourbon with no less than a 15 year old age statement, that comes in an art-deco style bottle that very much reminds me of the roaring 20’s. As I’ve never been lucky enough to try a whisky from that era, I can only imagine what whisky used to taste like back then. But I sure do hope for some whisky induced nostalgia from this dram!
Legend has it that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous character “Jay Gatsby” was inspired by George Remus himself. And although I’m not able to fact check that statement, I can safely say that the legend greatly inspired the Remus Bourbon brand.
Remus Gatsby Reserve is created at the Ross & Squibb distillery in Lawrenceburg Indiana, once known as “Whiskey City”. Because of its renowned reputation, George Remus purchased W.P. Squibb & Co in 1921. The same George Remus that’s known as the King of the Bootleggers!
George Remus found his fortune and fame during prohibition by finding creative loopholes in the Volstead Act. Allowing him to build a bourbon empire! And on the shoulders of that giant, and with a huge nod to the towns rich history, Ross & Squibb distillery (a fusion of Rossville Distillery and W.P. Squibb & Co), honours that legacy by naming their Bourbon after the (notorious) legend himself.
Which already makes this bourbon one filled with plenty of history, something that I personally absolutely love. A whisky like this invites you to read a good book about its history, while sipping away. Which makes me very grateful to Norbert Tebarts from Whisky4all for sharing a dram of this history rich liquid with me. Let’s find out how the whisky holds up to the legend in the Tasting Notes!
Tasting Notes: Remus Gatsby Reserve (2022)
Stats:
Distillery: Ross & Squibb Distillery
Age: 15 years old
ABV: 48,9%
Chill-filtered: No
Natural Colour: Ofcourse (bourbon by law always is)
Nose:
A lovely mixture of hand-rolled cigars, thick molasses, amarena cherries and barrel aged maple syrup. Old victorian era woodwork, peanut brittle, and some old sawdust notes add even more depth to this dram. Wonderfully complex, yet as full bodied as a good bourbon should be. I will always be a sucker for well-aged bourbons on the nose!
Palate:
Caramelised popcorn with a healthy dose of white pepper sprinkled on top. Those are the initial notes that come to mind when sipping this dram, but behind it lies so much more. More barrel aged maple syrup like on the nose, fresh oak shavings, and a big whallop of amerana cherries again. Pretty much more of what I was finding on the nose, but you won’t hear me complain about that!
Finish:
The finish is long and starts out with dark molasses, burnt caramel, and liquorice root. After a while it does start to turn a bit tannic and it leaves the mouth a tad dry. But that’s to be expected from well aged bourbon, and all things considering it’s still pretty mild compared to other examples I’ve tried. The tannic presence somehow also adds some citrus notes, mainly lime and kumquat and I love that!
Verdict:
When you go into a dram with high expectations, its sometimes hard not to be let down. But the Remus Gatsby Reserve lived up to the hype! It’s both complex and intense, and brings all the best things of well-aged bourbon, without falling too far into the bad. In fact when I stated that I’m always a sucker for well-aged bourbons on the nose, that’s because the palate and finish can sometimes be a let down. Old age can make a bourbon rather tannic and wood dominant. But that’s not the case here. You can sip and savour this for a very long time, good stuff!
