BOWMAN BROTHERS PIONEER SPIRIT SMALL BATCH
“Don’t Call It ‘Frisco'” NorCal Exclusive Single Barrel (2025)MASH BILL – unstated (rumored Buffalo Trace mash bill #1)
PROOF – 90
AGE – NAS
DISTILLERY – A. Smith Bowman Distillery
PRICE – $38
WORTH BUYING? – Sure
“Small Batch” and “Single Barrel” are not among the legally defined terms associated with American whiskey. They are used rather loosely—in the former’s case, to indicate a smaller than usual number of barrels vatted together; in the latter’s case, one single barrel bottled on its own.
These are marketing terms, essentially. Consumers take their basic definitions for granted and don’t analyze them too much. But of course “small” batch could mean two barrels or two hundred, depending on the scale of the distillery. “Single” barrel likely means literally one individual barrel. But word on the street is that some distilleries will pour a few barrels into one, let it sit for a minute, then declare this vatting itself to be a “single barrel” and sell it as such.
In the case of the current bottle on the table, “Small Batch” and “Single Barrel” come together to underscore the wiggliness of the terms. “Bowman Brothers Pioneer Spirit Small Batch” is the name of the brand extension, yet this bottling is of a “single barrel” of what would normally be batched into a larger “small batch” release. So although the terms would seem to stand in direct contradiction, here they don’t.
This release should not be confused with “John J. Bowman Pioneer Spirit Single Barrel,” a more coveted release from A. Smith Bowman that once gathered dust, until all things remotely Buffalo Trace came to define FOMO.
And furthermore, whatever. Do I find the whiskey good, or not? Do I find it worth the money I paid, or not? These questions ultimately weigh more for me than the semantics of marketing. I’m only bothered by marketing semantics when something about the release seems to indicate an attempt at some sleight of hand. Honesty is the best policy, in life and whiskey both.
I have no reason to suspect any sleight of hand at work with this bottle. Whether it’s a true and literal single barrel or a vatted “single barrel” is not a question I could ever get answered anyway. And as for the liquid itself, A. Smith Bowman Distillery is well known for sourcing and aging bourbon from Buffalo Trace, owned by the same umbrella corporation—Sazerac Company. They don’t admit to this on their label. But it’s fairly common knowledge among those paying attention to such things.
And you can taste it. A. Smith Bowman products taste very much like Buffalo Trace products. Bowman gives the bourbon a third distillation before barreling, which adds an extra bit of zing. And the Virginia climate has its particulars distinct from Kentucky. But there’s no mistaking those core Buffalo Trace apple and cherry notes in any A. Smith Bowman Distillery release.
So what does this single barrel release taste like?
At uncorking, I found it dry as a long-fallen oak log left out to weather. A bit of vanilla and caramel in the mix, but no fruit notes whatsoever. Just dry tannic oak. Boring.
But a few nights later, that familiar Buffalo Trace fruitiness had arrived to sweeten things up a bit. Just a bit—enough to inspire hope.
Now here we are, just about two weeks after uncorking and a handful of pours into the bottle. These brief notes were taken using a traditional Glencairn.
COLOR – a slightly golden orange with brassy highlights
NOSE – bright and rustic, with apple juice, vanilla, oak, oak tannin, flaky pie crust, faint cherry pie
TASTE – the emphasis reverses here, with the drier oak, tannin, and pie crust aspects taking the lead, followed closely by the sweet apple, cherry, and vanilla, then chased by a drippy caramel note; all with a subtly syrupy texture
FINISH – oak, the tannins a touch more bitter, vanilla, faint caramel, apple skins
OVERALL – oak, apple, and bitter are the three descriptors that linger most for me
It’s certainly aired out in a better direction since uncorking. Tasted blind I’d guess it was an ~8-year Buffalo Trace single barrel. No surprise there. It basically is, save that third distillation!
The subtly syrupy texture helps the flavors to linger in the finish. There is a stickiness to it that I associated with sweetness, yet this doesn’t nudge the dry aspects in a sweeter direction. The opposite, actually. This bourbon is driest on its finish, and sweetest on the initial nose.
Though I’d prefer that it lean more into its sweeter side than it does, at this price it’s a perfectly fine buy. That said, Buffalo Trace single barrels tend to be about $5 cheaper on average, with their flavor profiles very similar to this Bowman Brothers, so, why not save that $5 for a cup of coffee or two?
Anyway. I’ll sip this neat when I want something simple, rustic, pleasing, and easy. And I’ll put it to use in dive bar styled Old-Fashioned or Manhattan cocktails. It’s always good to have a bourbon and rye of this quality and price on the shelf, and this Bowman Brothers outing fits that bill.
Cheers!
The Right Spirit 