Savage & Cooke 'The Burning Chair' Bourbon Whiskey 750ml

Savage & Cooke 'The Burning Chair' Bourbon Whiskey is an 88 proof (44% ABV) craft spirit produced on historic Mare Island near Vallejo, California, as the inaugural, flagship expression of the distillery’s core portfolio. Masterminded by iconic Napa Valley winemaker Dave Phinney—the creative mind behind acclaimed wine brands like Orin Swift—this distinct whiskey bridges the gap between California wine country and traditional American distilling. Aged a minimum of four years in fire-charred new American white oak barrels, the final liquid is packaged in a heavy 750ml format, delivering an incredibly lush, wine-influenced canvas built to disrupt traditional bourbon conventions.

The core framework and maturation strategy of this bottling rely entirely on a multi-state sourcing philosophy and a precise secondary cask finishing program. Rather than limiting production to a single distilling site, Phinney hand-selects small, distinct lots of mature four-year-old straight bourbons from premium distilleries across Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Once transported to the Mare Island facility—a converted historic U.S. Navy base—these unique regional distillates are masterfully blended together. The combined spirit is then transferred into used French oak wine barrels sourced directly from Phinney's own high-end Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon projects for an intentional secondary aging period.

The liquid architecture was carefully managed by the production team to yield an uncommonly soft, velvety texture that tempers spiky grain notes. Utilizing a foundational mash bill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, the underlying whiskey naturally carries a firm, spicy structural backbone. The secondary resting period inside the freshly emptied Cabernet Sauvignon casks allows the fluid to gently absorb rich, residual fruit sugars and complex vinous tannins from the French oak. To guarantee absolute purity during the final proofing stage, the mature bourbon is systematically titrated down to 88 proof utilizing pristine water drawn from Phinney's high-elevation property in the Alexander Valley.

The bourbon’s highly expressive tasting experience opens on an old gold pour that releases an aromatically intriguing nose filled with rich brown sugar, creamy caramel, buttery toffee, and warm toasted oak, beautifully lifted by big, sweet red fruits, fresh cut pink flowers, and a hint of raspberry jam. The palate delivers an incredibly smooth, full-bodied viscosity displaying prominent layers of vanilla bean, warm maple syrup, baking spices, and baked apples, which seamlessly coat the tongue alongside a delicate, chewy toffee baseline. The journey concludes on an exceptionally long, exciting finish, where characteristic notes of dry oak tannins and warm baking spice are perfectly held in check by a subtle red fruit sweetness.

For modern spirits enthusiasts and fine wine collectors, 'The Burning Chair' represents an exceptional, boundary-pushing addition to any contemporary back bar. Completely abandoning traditional whiskey aesthetics, the bottle features an avant-garde, striking black-and-white photograph of a burning chair on the label, instantly separating it on a retailer's shelf from standard heritage-driven presentation styles. This 750ml bottle occupies a highly respected anchor slot within the Savage & Cooke portfolio, tracking far beyond standard craft spirits as a definitive, masterfully executed celebration of luxury cask-mating architecture.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 88 Proof (44% ABV)
• Age: Minimum 4 Years Old
• Origin: Mare Island, Vallejo, California, USA (Blended from IN, KY, and TN stocks)
• Distillery: Sourced from undisclosed distilleries; Blended, Finished, and Bottled by Savage & Cooke Distillery
• Whiskey Type: Cask Finished Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Cask/Cooperage: New Charred White American Oak, finished in Hand-Selected Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Wine Barrels
• Bottling: Ongoing Signature Core Release Allocation
• Series: Savage & Cooke Core Cask Finishing Lineup
• Selection: Hand-selected, blended, and cask-finished by Winemaker Dave Phinney; Proofed with pure Alexander Valley spring water
• Tasting Notes: Nose: Brown sugar, rich caramel, butterscotch, toasty oak, sweet red fruits, fresh pink flowers, and raspberry jam. Palate: Lush and smooth with vanilla bean, warm maple syrup, baking spices, delicate toffee, and baked apples. Finish: Long, exciting, and structured with warm spice, dry oak tannins, and a lingering subtle red fruit fade.