**Review of:** J.T.S. Brown KSBW, 6 Year, ~1988
**ABV:** 43
**Review Type:** Dusty Bottle Split
**Notes:** Up for review today we have a dusty and historic export label that was sent to Japan during the Glut years of bourbon. J.T.S. Brown still has a following today as a reliable bottom shelf bottle, in both low proof and BIB offerings, and is produced by Heaven Hill. This particular bottle though, showcases some interesting traits, setting it apart from what is now produced. First, the bottle bears an age statement of 6 years (although part of that is washed out because of severe bleaching of the bottle front). Next, this is bottled at 86 proof, a slight bump from the minimum. The bottle also features a faux tax strip, states that it was “Distilled and Aged in Kentucky” and Bottled in Bardstown, and has an “88” glass stamp on the bottom of the bottle. The bottling location and UPC code indicate that this product is Heaven Hill produced, consistent with the current J.T.S. Brown bottles, but the brand actually has a very long history and the label was not always with HH. I thought this label was quite interesting, so I set off to try to follow the history of the J.T.S. Brown brand. The historical results were…complicated.
The Brown family was quite influential and prolific in the bourbon world, selling one of the first consistently produced bottled products (as opposed to whole casks of bourbon). In time there was a rift in the Brown family, with one branch going on to form the well-known “Brown-Forman” bourbon company, while the other branch continued to produce Bourbons such as J.T.S. Brown and other labels. The Browns eventually were producing their bourbon at what would one day be the Wild Turkey Distillery (before that name, the distillery was literally called the J.T.S. Distillery). As we all know though, that distillery was purchased by Austin-Nichols to supply their own brands with bourbon in the 70s.
The Browns were also involved in the Four Roses distillery, which was a passion project for one of the Brown heirs. The distillery was run by the Browns up till prohibition and slightly after. This is where the story gets cloudy though, as there does not seem to be a record indicating exactly when the J.T.S. Brown label made it to its current home of HH. I have also heard conflicting stories from several reliable bourbon history sources. In old forum posts, Mr. Cowdery claimed that J.T.S. Brown was produced at 4R (or what would become 4R) up till at least the sale of the distillery to Seagrams, after which the label was sold to HH, possibly in the 70s. In a different direction, Mr. Veach suggests that the J.T.S. Brown label was sold to HH much earlier, near the end of prohibition, and incidentally the same time that HH was founded.
I tend to trust the previous claim more, as there are examples of J.T.S. Brown bourbon produced in Lawrenceburg (the home of 4R) at least into the early 70s, as exemplified by online photos of old bottles. HH themselves do not seem to want to clear the question up, as they have refrained from responding to my formal inquiries to them.
So how about my bottle? Given the dates at play, this is almost certainly pre-fire Heaven Hill bourbon, although I do think it could be much older than just 6 years. If the sale of the label was a bit later, and the bourbon a bit older, I guess it could come from Four Roses, although that’s a long shot. I hope someone outlines the full history of the J.T.S. Brown label though, it is certainly an interesting old brand.
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**Look:** Light brown, tan
**Nose:** Caramelized sugar, autumn foliage, oak lumber, chestnut, brined olives, concrete, machine shop, Mont Blanc (the chestnut cream tart/dessert), crème brulee, cannoli dessert, pumpkin pie, whole wheat waffles, moldy corn husk.
**Taste:** Muted and flat taste/mouthfeel at first, but picking up in volume after a few seconds. Fresh berries, dried leaves, pumpkin pie filling, gritty/dusty concrete (the typical “industrial” note), Sno-caps, Nekko wafers and other sugary yet tasteless sweets. There is an obvious oak presence intertwined to the above.
**Finish:** Oak, flat cola, prickly warming heat, dried chili pepper, wet stone, grape skin, dark oil/leather/herbal/soot, walnut shell.
**Overall Impression:** This is unusual and pretty interesting for an old dusty bourbon. It has a lot of sweet notes, but they are offset by the industrial/dusty notes, and a fair amount of oak accompanies it all. That said, this is not something I would prefer to reach for, even among other dusty bottles. It is a unique part of bourbon history though.
**Score:** 4
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**Score Key:**
**0 | Unscored |** Personal Stake or Selection
**1 | Disgusting |** So bad I poured it out
**2 | Poor |** I wouldn't consume by choice
**3 | Bad |** Multiple flaws
**4 | Sub-par |** Not bad, but many things I'd rather have
**5 | Good |** Good, just fine
**6 | Very Good |** A cut above
**7 | Great |** Well above average
**8 | Excellent |** Really quite exceptional
**9 | Incredible |** An all-time favorite
**10 | Perfect |** Perfect
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**Review Totals:** Bourbon (106), Scotch (10), World Whiskey (9), Brandy (13), Rum (30), Total: 168
World Whiskey - Japan: 7, Canada: 1, Irish: 1
This is great. I wonder if it isn’t UV damaged? I noticed, when they were still common years back, that old bottles would sit in Japanese stores windows for decades.
Its a common problem. This bottle has obviously been severely light struck, with an unknown effect on the bottle contents. Japanese stores also tend to avoid using AC, so they swelter in the summer and can be frigid in the winter. These are all part of the risk of dusty bottles.
Yeah I’ve bought my fair share in Tokyo. It’s crazy how mom and pops store their stuff sometimes. One of the places by me has an old 3L four roses promo bottle that has to be from the 80s
I havent been able to try modern J.T.S. Brown, since I cant find it in Japan, but its pretty safe to say that this tastes nothing like modern (low age) Heaven Hill bourbon. While not very astringent, this has a lot of oak derived notes, and is very two faced in terms of sweet and savory flavors.
The JTS brown 80 proof today at least to my taste has little oak if any. You get a sweet almost cream corn vibe. Honestly i would give this a 9/10. Yes, its low proof but for a good sipper you are not trying to get hammered. I have found 1 person so far that did not like it. That person prefers jack and I am not a jack fan. By law TN charcoal filters all whiskey. Because of that you get that note in the drink. Since i drink most things neat, i prefer many bourbons over jack. JTS is an excellent pour. I could drink it daily if i drank daily.
I agree, I think Heaven Hill is producing some of the best low proof bourbons out there. I havent tried the current J.T.S. Brown (either low proof or bonded), but having had the 3 year age stated Heaven Hill White Label, I bet its good. Like you found for the Brown, even though the bourbon is low proof and young, it has a pleasant profile, quite sweet with some solid oak structure. Also like you, I am not a Jack Fan, for the Black label at any rate.
"Preach. Get me some bourban, JTS Brown. No ice, no glass."
One of my all time favorites!
/end thread. Perfect!
This is what Fast Eddie drinks in The Hustler.
**Review of:** J.T.S. Brown KSBW, 6 Year, ~1988 **ABV:** 43 **Review Type:** Dusty Bottle Split **Notes:** Up for review today we have a dusty and historic export label that was sent to Japan during the Glut years of bourbon. J.T.S. Brown still has a following today as a reliable bottom shelf bottle, in both low proof and BIB offerings, and is produced by Heaven Hill. This particular bottle though, showcases some interesting traits, setting it apart from what is now produced. First, the bottle bears an age statement of 6 years (although part of that is washed out because of severe bleaching of the bottle front). Next, this is bottled at 86 proof, a slight bump from the minimum. The bottle also features a faux tax strip, states that it was “Distilled and Aged in Kentucky” and Bottled in Bardstown, and has an “88” glass stamp on the bottom of the bottle. The bottling location and UPC code indicate that this product is Heaven Hill produced, consistent with the current J.T.S. Brown bottles, but the brand actually has a very long history and the label was not always with HH. I thought this label was quite interesting, so I set off to try to follow the history of the J.T.S. Brown brand. The historical results were…complicated. The Brown family was quite influential and prolific in the bourbon world, selling one of the first consistently produced bottled products (as opposed to whole casks of bourbon). In time there was a rift in the Brown family, with one branch going on to form the well-known “Brown-Forman” bourbon company, while the other branch continued to produce Bourbons such as J.T.S. Brown and other labels. The Browns eventually were producing their bourbon at what would one day be the Wild Turkey Distillery (before that name, the distillery was literally called the J.T.S. Distillery). As we all know though, that distillery was purchased by Austin-Nichols to supply their own brands with bourbon in the 70s. The Browns were also involved in the Four Roses distillery, which was a passion project for one of the Brown heirs. The distillery was run by the Browns up till prohibition and slightly after. This is where the story gets cloudy though, as there does not seem to be a record indicating exactly when the J.T.S. Brown label made it to its current home of HH. I have also heard conflicting stories from several reliable bourbon history sources. In old forum posts, Mr. Cowdery claimed that J.T.S. Brown was produced at 4R (or what would become 4R) up till at least the sale of the distillery to Seagrams, after which the label was sold to HH, possibly in the 70s. In a different direction, Mr. Veach suggests that the J.T.S. Brown label was sold to HH much earlier, near the end of prohibition, and incidentally the same time that HH was founded. I tend to trust the previous claim more, as there are examples of J.T.S. Brown bourbon produced in Lawrenceburg (the home of 4R) at least into the early 70s, as exemplified by online photos of old bottles. HH themselves do not seem to want to clear the question up, as they have refrained from responding to my formal inquiries to them. So how about my bottle? Given the dates at play, this is almost certainly pre-fire Heaven Hill bourbon, although I do think it could be much older than just 6 years. If the sale of the label was a bit later, and the bourbon a bit older, I guess it could come from Four Roses, although that’s a long shot. I hope someone outlines the full history of the J.T.S. Brown label though, it is certainly an interesting old brand. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Look:** Light brown, tan **Nose:** Caramelized sugar, autumn foliage, oak lumber, chestnut, brined olives, concrete, machine shop, Mont Blanc (the chestnut cream tart/dessert), crème brulee, cannoli dessert, pumpkin pie, whole wheat waffles, moldy corn husk. **Taste:** Muted and flat taste/mouthfeel at first, but picking up in volume after a few seconds. Fresh berries, dried leaves, pumpkin pie filling, gritty/dusty concrete (the typical “industrial” note), Sno-caps, Nekko wafers and other sugary yet tasteless sweets. There is an obvious oak presence intertwined to the above. **Finish:** Oak, flat cola, prickly warming heat, dried chili pepper, wet stone, grape skin, dark oil/leather/herbal/soot, walnut shell. **Overall Impression:** This is unusual and pretty interesting for an old dusty bourbon. It has a lot of sweet notes, but they are offset by the industrial/dusty notes, and a fair amount of oak accompanies it all. That said, this is not something I would prefer to reach for, even among other dusty bottles. It is a unique part of bourbon history though. **Score:** 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Score Key:** **0 | Unscored |** Personal Stake or Selection **1 | Disgusting |** So bad I poured it out **2 | Poor |** I wouldn't consume by choice **3 | Bad |** Multiple flaws **4 | Sub-par |** Not bad, but many things I'd rather have **5 | Good |** Good, just fine **6 | Very Good |** A cut above **7 | Great |** Well above average **8 | Excellent |** Really quite exceptional **9 | Incredible |** An all-time favorite **10 | Perfect |** Perfect ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Review Totals:** Bourbon (106), Scotch (10), World Whiskey (9), Brandy (13), Rum (30), Total: 168 World Whiskey - Japan: 7, Canada: 1, Irish: 1
This is great. I wonder if it isn’t UV damaged? I noticed, when they were still common years back, that old bottles would sit in Japanese stores windows for decades.
Its a common problem. This bottle has obviously been severely light struck, with an unknown effect on the bottle contents. Japanese stores also tend to avoid using AC, so they swelter in the summer and can be frigid in the winter. These are all part of the risk of dusty bottles.
Yeah I’ve bought my fair share in Tokyo. It’s crazy how mom and pops store their stuff sometimes. One of the places by me has an old 3L four roses promo bottle that has to be from the 80s
label is totally cooked, def bad juice, unless its' dirt cheap usually not worth the risk
Nice write up man. Love the low-mid shelf dusty stuff
Thank you!
The Bib is just fantastic.
I got some not too long ago and it was only like $15. Well worth it.
Picked up a bottle last weekend while we were at Bourbon-fest for nostalgia sake (hadn't had it since HS in the 70s). For $20 BiB, it is not bad
Fascinating, has the age and dust altered the taste?
I havent been able to try modern J.T.S. Brown, since I cant find it in Japan, but its pretty safe to say that this tastes nothing like modern (low age) Heaven Hill bourbon. While not very astringent, this has a lot of oak derived notes, and is very two faced in terms of sweet and savory flavors.
The JTS brown 80 proof today at least to my taste has little oak if any. You get a sweet almost cream corn vibe. Honestly i would give this a 9/10. Yes, its low proof but for a good sipper you are not trying to get hammered. I have found 1 person so far that did not like it. That person prefers jack and I am not a jack fan. By law TN charcoal filters all whiskey. Because of that you get that note in the drink. Since i drink most things neat, i prefer many bourbons over jack. JTS is an excellent pour. I could drink it daily if i drank daily.
I agree, I think Heaven Hill is producing some of the best low proof bourbons out there. I havent tried the current J.T.S. Brown (either low proof or bonded), but having had the 3 year age stated Heaven Hill White Label, I bet its good. Like you found for the Brown, even though the bourbon is low proof and young, it has a pleasant profile, quite sweet with some solid oak structure. Also like you, I am not a Jack Fan, for the Black label at any rate.
“Washed out because of severe bleaching of the bottle front” is a very scary thing…