I have to admit I was pretty excited just to try a Jefferson’s cask strength bourbon just to see what Trey Zoeller would put out as far as cask strength bourbon. But he put this bourbon on a cargo ship to age. It crossed the equator quite a few times. Given its low proof at 112 it seems to have spent some time in colder climates as well.

Really cool looking bottle for a really cool bourbon. The color in the glass is honey. On the nose it smells like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof but with sea salt air. The palate is much the same; but lighter and fruiter, and with a slight alcohol burn with sea salt. This bourbon is probably on the younger side but I almost think that it had to be otherwise the flavors from the salt air would have been overwhelmed by oak. I love bourbons that are oak bombs but there are really neat flavors in bourbons with less oak and this is definitely one of them.

It reminds me of Oban 14 and even more so Gordon and McPhail’s eight year old bottling of Old Pulteney. That delightful salt grass finish that really works well with barley malt whiskey is quite interesting when paired with a bourbon. Coastal scotches have entirely different flavors from other scotches. Jefferson’s Ocean is different from other bourbons in that same way. Very elegant and interesting, like how sea salt works with dark chocolate and caramel. It works with bourbon too!