A. Smith Bowman Cask Strength Bourbon Batch #4

I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. If you don’t already have this bottle, chances aren’t great that you’ll be able to find one. While a limited supply of Bowman’s latest cask strength bourbon has hit select shelves across the country, most of it was sold this month via lottery to Virginia residents (like all previous releases). Bottle pickup for winners ends March 23, so if by some miracle someone forgot to grab their bottle, folks within a reasonable driving distance to the Fredericksburg distillery may want to consider the possibility that a few of these could end up on the gift shop shelf. But not likely. Maybe call first before getting in the car.

A. Smith Bowman has been on something of a tear lately with limited editions, releasing two expressions of the new Abraham Bowman Oak Series in 2024 alongside Batch #3 of Cask Strength, which we unfortunately never got a chance to sample. That release deviated a bit from the advertised formula in that it was only nine years old and clocked in at a comparatively modest 135.1 proof. For the fourth edition, Bowman has returned to a 10-year age statement and an almost-hazmat proof point (the first two releases crossed the flammable threshold of 70% abv). As always, it has been bottled uncut and unfiltered. Batch 1 and Batch 2 were both stunners. How does the latest offering stack up?

The nose is once again bold and dark with a punch of ethanol that is pronounced but entirely manageable, especially with a little time to open. All of that alcohol somehow doesn’t get in the way of any part of the aroma which offers a complex bouquet of new leather, dark vanilla bean, fudgy brownies, polished wood, and bruleed sugar. Fruity accents are laced throughout, at times dark cherry jam and others well-baked apple pie. With a healthy rest in the glass, it all turns to dark chocolate syrup and toasted marshmallow.

On the palate, the ethanol and oak are a little more muscular, yet still don’t distract from flavors that are impressively concentrated and expressive. A gingery heat prickles at first before settling into a long, even simmer across the palate with notes of chili pepper and cinnamon Red Hots. Fruits are front and center here with syrupy cocktail cherry giving way to sticky peach cobbler on the midpalate. All of that high tone sweetness is balanced against a bit of cocoa powder and wood spice, toasted coconut and black licorice. The finish sees a flourish of black pepper and cherry cola before a long, warm conclusion of clove syrup and caramel apple.

This latest batch is definitely more fruit-forward than Batch #1, on par with some of my favorite Four Roses releases in recent years, in fact. It’s another impressive addition to a standout series from A. Smith Bowman. Happy hunting!