When we announced on our Facebook page that we were anxious to try this new whiskey out, several of our 200,000 followers had plenty to say.

Comments ranged from “Why in the world would you screw up BOURBON with cherries ” and “You lost me at 35% abv” to “Have it all the time. Very good.” and “Oh that’s so good.”

Others were quick to point out that it is not a real bourbon, which is accurate since flavors have been added and it’s less than 80 proof.  It may have started as bourbon, but it didn’t end up that way.

That said, Traverse City Whiskey Co. which fashionably calls itself “The Whiskey of the North,” has been known to produce some good spirits. Also, Traverse City in Northern Michigan is generally regarded by many as being the “Cherry Capital of the World.” I can personally attest to the fact that its cherries are amazing and you can find them everywhere. In fact, that area produces so many tasty cherries, that many producers will leave boxes of them along the roadside with an honor system bucket for donations. So if anyone has a right to flavor their whiskey with cherries, it’s Traverse City Whiskey Co.

Here are my tasting notes for the sample from Batch 007:

Nose: all cherry. It’s so powerful, there’s really nothing else I can pick up.
Mouth: sweet, lots of cherry (but less than I was expecting based on the nose), hint of vanilla, young whiskey
Finish: light, lingering cherry taste

Adding a little water didn’t provide much change to the flavor profile, but did help cut the cherry flavor a bit, which was all right.

Overall, Traverse City Whiskey Co. made a solid whiskey whose sweet profile will appeal to many drinkers. Straight up, it’s not my favorite flavored whiskey, but it’s certainly far from bad. The next time I try this, it will be with a Diet Coke.