🥃 The Bourbon That Broke the Rules — and Made History

💥 Opening Pour

The first time bourbon met a sherry cask, folks thought the distiller had lost his damn mind. Finish an American classic in a foreign barrel?

Turns out, it wasn’t crazy. It was genius. And it kicked off a trend that still rocks rickhouses today.

📖 The Story

In the late ‘80s, most distillers still followed the letter of the bourbon law like gospel: new charred American oak barrels only. Anything else was sacrilege.

But Lincoln Henderson, a quiet rebel with a palate sharp as a tack, had a different idea. He’d spent decades tasting whiskey that whispered potential—but he wanted something louder, fuller, richer.

So he took good Kentucky bourbon and let it finish in old sherry casks from Spain.

The industry chuckled... until they tasted it.

Suddenly, bourbon was wearing silk gloves and velvet robes. It still had that classic backbone, but now came layered with figs, roasted nuts, and dark fruit. A finish so smooth, it felt like Sinatra singing to your tongue.

What began as a wild idea turned into one of the most enduring trends in modern whiskey.

The reveal? Sherry-finished bourbon isn't just a twist. It’s a bridge between tradition and invention. And it all started with one pour.

🥇 The Weekly Pour

Bottle: Angel’s Envy Finished in Port Wine Barrels
Price: ~$55
Proof: 86.6
Age: 4–6 years

Nose: Toasted vanilla, ripe cherry, a touch of cinnamon
Palate: Caramel, fig, baking spice, dark chocolate
Finish: Lingering with red wine tannin and warm oak

✅ Smooth enough for bourbon newbies
✅ Complex enough for seasoned sippers
✅ Gorgeous bottle for your home bar shelf

🛒 Buy it now → Craft Spirit Shop - $46.99

🍹The Art of Mixing

Cocktail: The Sherry-Finished Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 2 oz Angel’s Envy

• 1/4 oz Pedro Ximénez sherry

• 2 dashes chocolate bitters

• Orange peel

• Ice

Instructions

1. Stir bourbon, sherry, and bitters over ice.

2. Strain into a rocks glass with a large cube.

3. Express orange peel over the top, then drop it in.

Tip: The sherry amps up the richness—perfect for a cozy night in or post-dinner treat.

🍖 Flavor Pairing Picks

Pair it with:

🍖 Honey-glazed ham leftovers — The brown sugar and clove notes play beautifully with the fig and raisin from the sherry finish

🥔 Sweet potato casserole — The soft sweetness and cinnamon echo the warm spice and caramel in the bourbon

🍫 Leftover fudge or chocolate tart — Sherry-finished bourbon loves dark chocolate; this brings out its nutty, velvety side

💨 Oliva Serie V Melanio Figurado — This cigar has rich cocoa and spice that complements the port barrel’s deep fruit

🧠 Big Lesson of the Week

Don’t be afraid to break the rules—especially if what’s in your glass tastes better because of it.

🥂 Final Toast

Here’s to the barrels that cross oceans, the minds that question tradition, and the spirits that finish with flair.

🥃 Repeatable Proverb

“Bourbon’s bones are oak, but its soul can still dance in wine.”

📖 The Whiskey Journal Is Here

For those of us who believe every bottle tells a story worth writing down.

I finally released The Art of the Pour Official Whiskey Tasting Journal—the same one I use to jot down:

🖋️ Tasting notes, barrel picks, and “finally cracked it open” moments
🗓️ First pours with friends
🧠 Thoughts that hit halfway through a good pour

🎁 And because I love a good surprise, I’m throwing in a free printable Whiskey Tasting Wheel—yep, the one folks keep asking about from past newsletters.

Already a subscriber? You’re first in line.
👉 Get the Journal + Free Whiskey Wheel

Now Its Your Turn

Which sherry-finished bourbon (or port, or rum cask) made you rethink the rules? Drop your story below. Or just send this to a friend who still thinks “finished” means it’s gone.

Cheers to finished bottles, new beginnings, and never drinking boring whiskey—

Ethan “Neat” Whitmore

P.S. Next week: I’m pouring out the tale of the bourbon that aged... in space. It’s not science fiction. It’s whiskey science. Stay tuned 🚀