Just in time for Father's Day, It's time to welcome the third "child" to the Fathertime family. The Middle Child Mystery is the latest release from comedian-turned-bourbon-enthusiast Jim Gaffigan - and it is his best yet. And if you thought Jim's new passion might be short-lived, think again: We just saw his new show and let's just say there's a lot of new material that whiskey fans will love. We also recently chatted with Jim on Instagram Live, and we encourage you to check that out here if you haven't yet watched.
New parents are often told, "Children are like pancakes. You always mess up the first one." Based on this Pancake Logic, a second or third child would be an improvement, right? Not if you listen to birth order conspiracies (aka “theories”). According to those, the middle child has "issues" because they don't receive enough attention. Like most parents, Jim would never ignore one of his children. Unless they were asking for a screen. Or money. Or if he was watching football. Well, despite all this birth order nonsense (“theory”), Jim’s middle child somehow earned the right to be his phone's wallpaper image, much to the dismay of the other pancakes. The middle child is often a mystery; but then again, so is most of parenting... which is probably why Jesus invented bourbon.
The same principles that inspired the previous editions of Fathertime have also guided the creation of this new release, Middle Child Mystery. This endeavor is still just Jim and Stu tasting barrels and putting together a smooth and delicious bourbon. This batch is just as precious as the first, and each bottle is personally signed by Jim, which was a pain in the ass but totally worth it – much like fatherhood.
You’ll find familiar flavor from the first two batches on this one, with the addition of more orange zest on the nose, bigger cherry sweetness to the front of the palate, and a slightly deeper, more balanced mouthfeel continuing into the finish with a welcomed spice.
Fathertime Bourbon “Middle Child Mystery”
Butter pecan, cherry candies, raspberry, slightly perfumed orange zest, wildflower honey, vanilla cream, and a touch of tobacco - the nose is balanced and inviting with fruitiness, caramel sweetness, and a touch of wood char as well.
The palate drinks creamier than its 92.4 proof may suggest. Bright cherry juice leads the way, but it continues nuanced with toffee, tobacco, creamy milk chocolate and softly toasted oak, all a bit deeper and more balanced than batches before.
The finish begins chewy and sweet, but moves into welcomes baking spices that add to the depth, continually developing sweet oak and lingering with ripe fruit notes and creamy vanilla custard in the long finish.
Fathertime Bourbon Empty Nester Strength “Middle Child Mystery”
Jim has grown to appreciate stronger pours, which is why he decided to bottle some of Middle Child Mystery at cask strength (~120 proof), affectionately referring to this expression as “Empty Nester Strength.” When children finally leave the home, parents enter a unique stage in their journey. While empty nesters are often characterized as being victoriously liberated from parental responsibilities, they sometimes also experience a level of grief. The grip of love and fear that permeates parenting grows a little tighter. And some nights that calls for a stronger bourbon.
Spiced vanilla custard, pecan pie, cherry cobbler, spiced pear, and a slightly perfumed leather - this is everything the 92.4 proof has but more intense and more concentrated. While a bit warm, theres a growing candied fruitiness and cream that lasts beyond all else.
Like the nose, the palate leads with spiced vanilla custard and concentrated cherry and blackberry fruit - juicy and prickly, with creamy mint chocolate and caramel filling the middle before spiced leather and barrel char set in.
Black pepper and allspice continue into the finish with dark chocolate, dried cherry, overcooked caramel, and barrel char.
