UPDATE: Yes, the price ranges are huge. Jefferson’s has not set an official MSRP since the 21 year bourbon from early 2013, and retailers are taking advantage of that. My price range comes from the lowest and highest prices I see.
In a few short years, Castle Brands will have released seven Jefferson’s Presidential Select offerings. In 2013 alone, there was a 25 year rye mashbill bourbon, a 25 year rye, a 21 year rye mashbill bourbon, and a 21 year rye. In 2012 there was an 18 year wheated Stitzel-Weller bourbon, and a 17 year wheated Stitzel-Weller bourbon before that. There is also a 30 year JPS which will be a rye mashbill bourbon set to show signs of life in early 2014, as well as a 26 year Tennessee whiskey that just hit the TTB. Aside from the Tennessee which has yet to come out and the 17 year version which is long gone, there is a chance you could run in to any of these releases heading in to the holiday shopping season. Knowing that, it is important you know what you are looking at.
Because the Jefferson’s Presidential Select (JPS) line has used the same bottle and design template for all of the JPS releases, there has been a ton of confusion for consumers. Unless you have been paying attention since 2009, trying to differentiate between them when standing in the bourbon aisle can be quite difficult. The most important thing to keep track of are the four different factors that vary with each release: age, recommended price/retail price, mashbill, and source.
The fact that they have pumped them out in rapid succession has put retailers on the ropes, keeping them from understanding exactly what it is they have on their shelves. Because of this, you may or may not get accurate advice from a liquor store employee. When you are talking about $100 to $200 bottles, a clear distinction needs to be made between the 21 and 25 year rye whiskies and the 21 and 25 year rye mashbill bourbons, as well as the three rye bourbons and the two wheated bourbons, so that customers go home with what they intended to buy.
To stem the confusion during the holiday season, here is a quick road map to understanding the difference between the seven Jefferson’s Presidential Select offerings in chronological order, with the coming Tennessee JPS and the second Ocean Aged release at the end.
1. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Year “Stitzel-Weller” Bourbon (2009)
- 1st JPS Release
- Age: 17 Years
- Price: $90-$130
- Mashbill: Bourbon/wheated mashbill (>51% corn, wheat, no rye)
- Source: Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Kentucky
- Proof: 94 proof
- The JPS17 is Stitzel-Weller, and it is “wheated”
- This was the first JPS release. Castle Brands purchased dozens of Stitzel-Weller barrels for the JPS line, but only bottled a fraction of them at the 17 year mark. The remaining barrels were left to age for another year, and were then bottled as the JPS18. The consensus is that the JPS17 was better, and far more consistent than the JPS18. I agree with the consistency mark, but I have had batches of JPS18 that I enjoyed more than the JPS17.
- A very select number of JPS17 barrels were bottled as a single barrel.
2. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Year “Stitzel-Weller” Bourbon (2012)
- 2nd JPS Release (Review HERE)
- Age: 18 years old
- Price: $90-$200
- Mashbill: Bourbon/wheated mashbill (>51% corn, wheat, no rye)
- Source: Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Kentucky
- Proof: 94 proof
- The JPS18 is Stitzel-Weller, and it is wheated
- The JPS18 also came out in a single barrel version in very limited quantities, for only a handful of markets. The barrel sticker looks like THIS
, which will list who the single barrel was bottled for. Don’t expect to stumble across any of these out in the wild.- The JPS18 came out in 2012. Its popularity was driven by the fact that it was sourced from the same distillery as Pappy Van Winkle, but this release also had a ton of people stocking up on it towards the end of the release because of the quality and multiple positive reviews.
- The infamous JPS wording dilemma: Recently, BourbonTruth.com posted a video of Trey Zoeller copping to later batches of JPS18 being mixed with a 20 year old rye’d bourbon. This proved that the phrase, “Aged in Stitzel-Weller barrels” used on the bottle was some smoke and mirrors tactic to get “Stitzel-Weller” on the bottle without it being S-W distilled bourbon, but that still doesn’t explain how they can get away with the “Distilled from wheat” claim?
- As you can see (removed), there is a visible difference between the early batches and the later batches.
3. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21 Year Bourbon (2013)
- 3rd JPS Release (Review HERE)
- Age: A minimum of 21 years, with older barrels blended in.
- Price: $120-$160 (MSRP $119)
- Mashbill: Bourbon/rye mashbill (>51% corn, rye, no wheat)
- Source: Distillery unknown
- Proof: 94 proof
- Not a Stitzel-Weller bourbon, not a “wheated” bourbon
- After two consecutive Stitzel-Weller releases, many people assumed that this was another S-W release. It is important to keep in mind that only the 17 and 18 year releases have been Stitzel-Weller, and the 21 year bourbon is a rye bourbon, not a wheater.
- JPS21 Markup Problems: Many retailers are under the assumption that this is another wheater from S-W, and that it will have the same demand as the JPS17 and JPS18. Retailers still had customers coming in looking for the popular JPS18 when the JPS21 came out, so they decided to mark up the JPS21 an extra $50 because they assumed it came with built in demand. Consumers got smart to the difference pretty quick when their bottles weren’t moving, but retailers have been stubborn to bring the price down to the recommended $119. Since this was the last JPS to actually have an MSRP, it is much easier to talk the price down.
4. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 21 Year Rye Whiskey (2013)
- 4th JPS Release
- Age: 21 years old
- Price: $120-$175
- Mashbill: Straight Rye Whiskey (>51% rye)
- Source: Canada, TTB lists it as from Paramount Distillers, but odds are it is from Alberta, one of the only Canadian distilleries to produce any high age ryes.
- Proof: 90.4
- Not a bourbon, not Stitzel-Weller, not “wheated”
- The silver wax stamp, the word “RYE” under the JPS script, a “Straight Rye Whiskey” claim, as well as a “North American Rye” claim indicate that this bottle is one of the rye whiskies, not a rye bourbon. The most obvious of these clues is the silver stamp. Silver is rye, red is bourbon.
- A Canadian rye may or may not have been aged in used barrels. It may or may not be blended with the whiskey of multiple distilleries. Without “big brother” watching over the process, and without a clear distillery as the source, it is impossible to guess the quality of this rye, and it will cost you a pretty penny to find out for yourself.
5. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 25 Year Bourbon (2013)
- 5th JPS Release
- Age: 25 Years old
- Price: $140-$200+
- Mashbill: Bourbon/rye mashbill (>51% corn, rye, and no wheat)
- Source: Distillery Unknown
- Proof: 90.4 proof
- Not a Stitzel-Weller bourbon, not a “Wheated” bourbon
- The 25 year old JPS bourbon came out at the same time as the 25 year old JPS rye. Be sure to ensure you are getting the one you are looking for.
- The bourbon is very old, and it is very expensive. It is well beyond the age where you can assume the time in oak was beneficial, which means it could be over-oaked and harsh, or it could be refined and exceptional. Unfortunately, again, there is no MSRP, so you are at the mercy of the retailer if you are looking to buy one.
6. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 25 Year Rye (2013)
Photo courtesy of Gregg T
- 6th JPS Release
- Age: 25 years old
- Price: $140-$200+
- Mashbill: Straight Rye Whiskey (>51% Corn)
- Source: Unknown Distillery
- Proof: 86 proof
- This is NOT a bourbon
- Note the silver stamp and the North American rye claims. This means it is probably a Canadian rye, just like the 21 year rye and the standard 10 year Jefferson’s Rye.
- The 25 year rye is only 86 proof compared to the 90.4 proof 21 year rye. A low proof Canadian whiskey for $200 is not exactly calling me name, no matter how old it is. This is another release without a price recommendation from Jefferson’s, so if you want to try this whiskey, you may have to accept the fact that your wallet may have to be violated in the process.
7. Jefferson’s Presidential Select 30 Year Bourbon (12/2013 in select states, early 2014 everywhere else)
Updated 12/26/13
- 7th JPS Release (Review HERE)
- Age: 30 years
- Price: $200-$499
- Mashbill: Bourbon/rye mashbill (See below)
- Source: Unknown
- Proof: 90.4 proof
- Not a wheated bourbon
- The total production of this guy is something like 300 bottles.
- The price range for this is huge, partly because Jefferson’s failed to set an MSRP, again (the wholesale for this bottle is somewhere just below $190). On top of that, as you probably expected, you don’t know the source, mash bill (officially, anyway), the state where it was produced or aged, and you don’t even know the puffed up tasting notes a company will normally put out with a new bottle. All you know is that it exists, it is 30 years old, it comes in very limited numbers, and you should pay whatever your retailer tells you to. Considering that many consider the age to be non-potable, and there is absolutely no information about the bourbon’s provenance, it probably would have been a good idea to help limit the gouging by setting an MSRP.
- A good friend of mine in Georgia says the retailers that have been offered the 30 year JPS have been told that it is a rye mashbill bourbon, not a wheater, by the reps.
* Jefferson’s Presidential Select 26 Year Tennessee Whiskey (2014)
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- 8th JPS Release
- Age: 26 years old
- Price: TBD
- Mashbill: Unknown (probable straight bourbon w/”Lincoln County filtration process”)
- Source: Unknown. Probably Dickel? Maybe a barrel from some guys basement?
- This will be one of the more interesting releases in the JPS line. A high age Tennessee Whiskey is very rare to the market. I got pretty excited when Dickel announced they would be releasing 9 and 14 year barrels, so a 26 year Tennessee whiskey will be a unique addition to the market.
Sourced from: RWB no longer in print/online
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