Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 88 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
South Carolina United States |
| ABV | 50% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $89.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Reviewed | 2024-04-09 |
Jimmy Red Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond Review
Once a popular grain among moonshiners, Jimmy Red corn nearly went extinct, with only two ears known to exist as late as 2011. The strikingly red grain was revived shortly thereafter, and in 2014, South Carolina’s High Wire Distilling began making bourbon with it. These days, High Wire is distilling nearly one million pounds of the grain per year. The distillery claims the corn makes an exceptionally oily distillate, which creates its own challenges for production — but may ultimately contribute to a thick, creamy mouthfeel.
High Wire’s current Jimmy Red expressions are distilled from a 100 percent corn mash bill. (Astute bourbon fans will note this necessitates the use of added enzymes to break down starch, since there is no malted grain in the mash bill.)
The distillery offers a base expression bottled at 95 proof and aged for a minimum of two years. But today, we’re looking at the bottled in bond variation, clocking in at the familiar 100 proof and aged a minimum of four years. Let’s see how this bourbon — made entirely from an historic red corn — stacks up!
Jimmy Red Bourbon Bottled in Bond: Stats and Availability
Jimmy Red Bourbon is distributed primarily in South Carolina, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington, D.C. It’s also available from select online retailers — including Astor Wine & Spirits, Potomac Wines, and Seelbach’s — each with their own shipping limitations depending on the state or territory.
The bottled in bond version of Jimmy Red carries a suggested retail price of around $90. While this may seem on the higher end for a four(ish) year bourbon, in 2024, it’s roughly in line with what you can expect to pay for a craft, bottled in bond whiskey. High Wire releases this version of Jimmy Red in limited quantities, so don't expect to find it in stock (especially online) year round.
Jimmy Red Bourbon Bottled in Bond Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
Slightly grain-forward at first, the nose starts a bit heavier on the ethanol than the whiskey’s 100 proof. An undercurrent of candy corn follows, along with a syrupy sweetness and fresh-baked cornbread. Things stay sweet but evolve steadily toward spicier; vanilla wafer becomes tiramisu, which then transitions to a light cinnamon candy.
There’s not a ton of perceptible fruit here beyond a tiny hint of unripe persimmon. If you’re looking for scents rich of red and/or dark fruits, Jimmy Red corn may not be the grain for you!
Additional time in the glass brings out herbal notes, green tomato, and freshly cut grass. There’s no rye in this mash bill, though this final act on the nose reminds me of some more vegetal aromas one often gets from high-rye mash bills.
Taste
In full transparency, I wasn’t sure what to expect after nosing this bourbon. There were some pleasant aromas, and about 10 minutes in the glass yielded a nice balance between sweet and vegetal, with light spice for good measure. It simply took a while to get there.
There’s no such delay on the palate. For all its corn-forward sweetness on the nose, Jimmy Red Bottled in Bond is richer on the tongue.
The mouthfeel is immediately noteworthy at 100 proof, slightly milky without being syrupy, chocolate-forward without getting chalky. It’s sweet from the tip of the tongue through the midpalate, and here, the sweetness has depth: cinnamon-dusty vanilla frosting and Honey Nut Cheerios, for starters. Fruit comes next, with small but noticeable pops of strawberry candy and red plum. I wouldn’t call the palate fruit-dominant (or even fruit-forward), but it’s a marked step up in complexity compared to the nose.
And about that chocolate: It’s milky and light, and though chocolate is often associated with darker, tobacco-adjacent flavors in bourbon, here it maintains a lightness from the midpalate on. After a few sips, a touch of tannins shift it toward tiramisu (providing a bit of a narrative from nose through to taste).
Finish
For a whiskey made from 100 percent corn mash, Jimmy Red showed remarkable complexity on the palate. Its finish, however, may showcase some limitations for a bourbon without a secondary, flavoring grain (which is most often rye or wheat). The finish is very nearly saccharine sweet, with a burst of fruit punch that quickly cycles back to corn syrup. That sweetness sticks around for about a minute after each sip, but it doesn’t bring much spice or oak to help keep things interesting.
Jimmy Red Bourbon Bottled in Bond Rating
88/100
Recap
Jimmy Red Bourbon Bottled in Bond gets solid marks for a balanced palate and great mouthfeel. It’s also a fantastic conversation piece and captured relic from American distillation’s past. Those are the high points for Jimmy Red Bourbon, as the nose and finish don’t quite match the same depth and complexity. Even for a storied grain like Jimmy Red, there are limitations for a fully corn mash bill and relatively young age out of the barrel.
But High Wire is clearly on to something fun here; if there is spice and character aplenty on the tongue, perhaps more age and production tinkering could yield an amplified nose and finish. My fingers are crossed for older and/or higher proof Jimmy Red releases in the coming years.
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