Within the mid-Nineteenth century, a map of American “liquid gold” would have appeared inverted to the trendy eye. Earlier than the Civil Warfare, North Carolina stood because the undisputed titan of American viticulture, main the nation in wine manufacturing and internet hosting the nation’s first business vineyard. This popularity largely revolved across the Scuppernong grape, a local bronze-green number of the Muscadine household. But, because the vines flourished within the crimson clay, one other empire was rising in Statesville: the “Liquor Capital of the World.” Pushed by the rail traces of 1858, Statesville grew to become a worldwide hub for tax-paid whiskey, fueled by rugged Scotch-Irish distilling traditions.
Nonetheless, this golden period of Southern spirits finally confronted a looming shadow. By the flip of the twentieth century, the temperance motion had taken a stranglehold on the South. In 1903, years earlier than Nationwide Prohibition reached the remainder of the nation, North Carolina handed the Watts Act. This laws successfully dismantled the authorized distilling trade in Statesville and compelled its grasp blenders into the hills as outlaws. Because the copper stills grew chilly within the Piedmont, the American viticultural crown was being handed westward.
Whereas North Carolina’s vineyards had been being plowed underneath for tobacco, Italian immigrants in Sonoma, California, had been discovering that the rugged, fog-cooled terrain of the Russian River Valley was the right sanctuary for a dark-skinned grape generally known as Zinfandel. Because the “Liquor Capital” pale into reminiscence, these West Coast pioneers had been planting the very “previous vines” that may outline California’s winemaking id for the subsequent century. Particularly, within the Piner-Olivet area of Sonoma, the soil was being ready for what would finally turn out to be the world-renowned Carlisle Vineyards, a web site the place Zinfandel flourished whereas the South remained legally dry.
At this time, that 150-year-old hole has been bridged. The “Liquor Capital” has been resurrected, and it has reached throughout the continent to borrow a bit of Sonoma’s historical past. In early 2026, Statesville’s Southern Distilling launched Southern Star Bourbon Completed in Zinfandel Casks, that includes Zinfandel wine casks sourced from Carlisle Vineyards in Sonoma, California. Serving as a part of the Paragon assortment, the bourbon is distilled from a wheated mashbill consisting of 70% corn, 16% wheat, and 14% malted barley. The mash underwent open-top fermentation over a interval of 5 days earlier than being run by means of a column nonetheless. Distillate got here off the nonetheless at 130 proof and went into 4 barrels at 110 proof.
The bourbon initially aged in three barrels from Black Swan and one barrel from Speyside, all with a #4 char. The youngest barrel aged for 4 years and 11 days and the oldest barrel aged for 4 years and 232 days, sustaining a median age of 4 years and 202 days. These preliminary barrels had been dumped on June 1, 2022, with a pure harvest proof of 116. This freshly dumped bourbon was instantly entered into three 60-gallon Zinfandel wine casks, permitting for at the least one other yr of maturation. Whereas wine cask finishes are extraordinarily widespread in fashionable American whiskey, the usage of Zinfandel wine casks is something however widespread. Southern Distilling took an opportunity when stepping exterior of the norm for wine cask finishes. Did it repay? Or is there a motive that bourbon with Zinfandel finishes is unusual? Let’s discover out!
Southern Star Straight Bourbon Completed in Zinfandel Casks Overview
The Zinfandel casks seem in full power immediately. The nostril opens with brambly black raspberry paired in opposition to vanilla pudding. Because the whiskey rests, a little bit of butterscotch gives a second of sweetness earlier than the scent shifts towards freshly tilled loam. It’s a fascinating marriage of candy and earthy. On the palate, the spirit veers away from candy virtually fully. Baked crimson apples with the peels nonetheless intact lead the cost, adopted by a metallic streak of iron. This transitions into the mid-palate, the place under-ripe blackberries and white pepper take maintain. Simply because the tartness peaks, a fast hit of ripe, juicy berry fruit gives a quick counterpoint.
The mouthfeel stays lean and undeniably dry. This parched high quality continues into the end, which highlights darkish chocolate earlier than returning to that signature mixture of tart blackberry and white pepper. An sudden notice of savory mushroom rounds out the tail finish. The expertise concludes with a end that’s exceptionally lengthy and stays dry till the very finish.
This launch is price an in depth look. It presents a profile that may really feel fully new to most followers of bourbon. The distinguished dryness will not be a trait discovered in lots of pours, and it usually sits exterior my very own taste financial institution. Whereas this particular route will not be my standard pace, I discovered the deviation fascinating. I needed to gradual my tempo and focus greater than I often do whereas assessing a whiskey. I loved the problem of figuring out these rare notes and questioning the alchemy behind them. Often, a pour is so distinct that it transcends private selection. It serves a better objective by stretching a taster’s sensory vocabulary, and these Zinfandel casks accomplish precisely that. For fans who recognize each bourbon and the spine of dry wine, this bottle is a worthwhile endeavor.
116.1 proof
B / $46 (375 ml)
Southern Star Bourbon Completed in Zinfandel Casks
USD46
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