ASW Fiddler Syncopation Straight Bourbon Whiskey

ASW Fiddler Syncopation Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a limited Atlanta bottling from ASW Distillery, distilled on the house Vendome copper pot stills from 100% malted Bloody Butcher corn, an heirloom red corn malted at Riverbend Malt House in North Carolina. ASW presents it as a single malt bourbon: one grain, all of it malted. It aged more than 5 years in 15-gallon new charred white oak, parked in one of the hottest spots in the rickhouse. Those small barrels and the Georgia heat are what drive it to 149.7 proof. There is no second finishing cask. The oak in the glass is that maturation. A separate Hazmat release is aged 4 years and bottled at 149.4 proof.

Brand notes, carried by Seelbach’s and by Riverbend, open on thick caramel, spiced cola, date, raisin, and candied bacon. The palate is viscous and toasty, with chocolate ganache, clinging dried fruit, and charred citrus. The finish is the part they single out: cola sweetness, a savory turn, long toasted oak, and a petrichor note that keeps developing.