HER WHISKEY REVIEWS

Sweet sipping, uncomplicated sip that highlights heirloom grains and a toasted, pecan wood finish.

What You Need to Know

Doc Brown Spirits: Southern Ember Straight Bourbon Finished in Toasted Pecan Staves, Batch #2

• Type: Bourbon, Finished in Toasted Pecan Wood Staves
• Mashbill: Undisclosed. Uses Jimmy Red Heirloom Corn, Abruzzi Rye, white winter wheat and malted barley
• Proof / ABV: 93 proof
• Age Statement / Range: 4 years old
• MSRP: $49.99
• Availability: Limited
• Purchase here

Review Summary – Our Take, Straight Up

Doc Brown Spirits is known for its seed-to-sip philosophy. This expression creates an approachable pour that highlights the flavors and textures of heirloom grain varietals, along with a touch of Georgia heritage through toasted pecan wood finishing.

Tasting Notes

This light, grain-forward pour leans sweet and bright, with banana, toasted nut, and a short, warm finish.

Aroma: 7/10

Toasted nut, carmelized banana, and sweet caramel, light, bright top note

Flavor: 6/10

Caramel sweet with an edge of toasted nut, gentle baking spice

Texture: 5/10

Lightly creamy, with a hit of ethanol and heat from the proof. Even at 93 proof, it has a fully coating mouthfeel.

Finish: 6/10

Short and punchy, with a touch of caramel and nut at the end

Unique or True to Style?

This is meant to be an atypical bourbon, with its focus on heirloom grains and unusual pecan wood stave finishing.

Behind the Bottle

Doc Brown Spirits is known for its seed-to-sip philosophy. As both farmers and distillers, the founders are focused on getting the best grain they can from their land and creating delicious products that highlight the agricultural foundation behind American whiskey.

To that end, they are using heirloom varietals like Jimmy Red corn and Abruzzi rye in their bourbon mashbill. Jimmy Red corn, a “resurrected” red heirloom varietal from the Appalachian region, is known for its high oil content, sweet flavor, and rich creaminess in whiskey. Abruzzi rye, a deeply spicy, nutty rye grain, has high protein content and an earthy flavor profile. Both are grown by Doc Brown Spirits and used in production.

To round out the mashbill, white winter wheat sourced in Georgia and malted barley from a North Carolina producer are used.

This limited release uses toasted pecan wood staves, further bolstering those nutty, toasted flavors and packing more flavor into a relatively young 4-year bourbon.

Amy Brown, a former banker, and Paige Docweiler, a nurse, are the founders of Doc Brown Farm and Distillery, a family-owned business in Senoia, Georgia, where they produce spirits using heirloom grains grown directly on their farm about an hour south of Atlanta.

Best For / Skip If

• Best For: Bourbon lovers who want a lighter sip with an intriguing texture from heirloom grains – the Jimmy Red Corn and the Abruzzi, or anyone who loves the spryness of a 4 year bourbon that edges to the sweet end of the spectrum.
• Skip If: You focus on heavy-hitting, high proof pours that lean on oak and leather, or you prefer grain to take the back seat in a bourbon.

Our Recommendations

• Suggested glassware: Glencairn
• Atmosphere : Easy sipper as a pick me up, approachable pour for a bourbon enthusiast looking for an uncomplicated sip.
• Suggested for cocktails or as neat sipper: this would be a perfect base for Manhattan with a touch of banana liqueur added in and a spritz of rich pecan liqueur on top.
• Suggested food pairings: Caramel corn for a sweet bomb, or for savory, spicy pecans with a hit of cayenne.
• Gifting suggestions: For your bourbon lover who enjoys grain experiments, creative secondary finishing at a lighter proof.
• Would I pour it for my peer: I’d pour it in a flight with a number of other heirloom corn varietals and one traditional, heritage sip made with yellow dent corn in the mashbill.

The Last Sip (Closing Notes)

86

For sippers wanting to experience some creative, heirloom-grain-focused bourbon, this is a solid pour. As a four-grain product, it highlights textures and sweetness that are atypical of whiskeys created from non-heirloom varietals. Concentrating on both local grain and a Georgia-associated pecan wood finish, this is a whiskey that exemplifies terroir. I’d love a little more structure beneath the grain to get a bit more expressiveness, and a slightly higher proof point, but if you want a bourbon that is unapologetically Southern and Georgia-focused, this is your sip.

FAQ Box

• Is Southern Ember worth the price? If you enjoy geeking out on grain varietals or want to try a different kind of wood finish, yes.
• What is Jimmy Red Corn? It’s a rare heirloom variety once close to disappearing. That corn brings a richer, creamier texture than many bourbons, along with notes like graham cracker, cinnamon, maple, and red fruit. Found primarily in the South, it was well known around Charleston’s James Island. By some accounts, it was a favorite corn of moonshiners. Its comeback was tied to Southern chefs and distillers who turned a spotlight on it as an heirloom variety. It’s known for its high oil content, which is thought to contribute to richer texture and sweetness when used for whiskey and spirits.
• What is Abruzzi rye? Abruzzi rye is a heritage rye with roots in Italy that was introduced to the United States in the early 1900s, then adapted over time into Southern strains such as Wrens Abruzzi, which was officially released in Georgia in 1953. It became valued in the South for vigor and hardiness, but today whiskey makers care about it for a different reason: it brings a distinctive grain profile that can read savory, nutty, floral, and spice-driven, which is why it has become part of the broader heirloom-grain revival in American whiskey. You’ll find it in other whiskies across the country focused on heirloom-focused rye grains.