In early 2021, Spirits of French Lick released a special three-barrel blend of Lee W. Sinclair which was the first in the Iconoclast series. An “Iconoclast” is a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions. In the whiskey industry, that explains a good bit about SOFL’s head alchemist and distiller, Alan Bishop.
If you confront Bishop with “that’s not the way things are supposed to be done”, you’ll be met a response where he explains that his mind is not for rent and he’ll likely add in a few colorful metaphors to make sure his point is made. Alan has a deep, life-long respect for history and tradition, but also knows that neither he nor the whiskey industry will grow if the status quo remains unchallenged.
The Iconoclast treatment now falls to Mattie Gladden. Mattie Gladden (the whiskey) is a high-rye bourbon with 55% corn, 35% rye and 10% malt. Bishop routinely names his spirits after people and places of historical note from the Black Forest region of Southern Indiana, and that is how Mattie Gladden got its name.
Mattie Gladden, the woman, was quite notorious. At one point, she was the mistress of P.T. Barnum…yes, THAT P.T. Barnum. She also was the madam of a prominent brothel she owned in Salem, Indiana. No weak, ordinary whiskey would do if it is to be named after Madam Mattie.
I hailed the first Iconoclast – the Lee W. Sinclair version – as “whiskey of the year” when I first tasted it in February of 2021. For me, it held that spot throughout the year and was the best whiskey I tried during that year.
This Iconoclast, like the Lee version, is also a three-barrel blend and it is bottled at 105 proof. Can the Mattie Gladden Iconoclast take its place on the podium like Lee W. Sinclair did two years ago? Let’s find out.
Review and Notes:
Nose: The first thing I notice from the glass is something I don’t think I’ve ever used as a whiskey descriptor before: fresh. It smells fresh. Like clean linen on the clothes line. Then there is also a rich cherry pie filling note. The kind that would make a grown man cry.
Taste: This is where it becomes decadent and the “madam” in this bottle shows up. (Side note: Mattie Gladden Bourbon was once described on My Whiskey Den as being “whore forward”).
The cherry takes a turn and becomes more like a raspberry muffin. There is also some chocolate, hazelnut, black pepper and, of course, a little leather.
Finish: The finish is like Christmas comes early with an unmistakable cherry cordial note that lingers for much longer than what you paid for.
All the brothel puns aside, this is a fantastic whiskey that you need to try and procure a bottle if you can. It is currently available in the Spirits of French Lick gift shop. If you love the bottled-in-bond version of Mattie, then you’ll be bewitched by this. Will it be my whiskey of the year like the original Iconoclast release was? Well, you’ll just have to wait until early January when we have the Bourbon Turntable “Whiskeys of the Year” show to see.
The Bourbon Fellowship / Bourbon Turntable 