A. Smith Bowman Straight Bourbon Cask Strength 10 Year 137.6 Proof Batch #5

Batch #5 of A. Smith Bowman's Cask Strength — a ten-year Virginia straight bourbon bottled at 137.6 proof, copper distilled in small batches in Fredericksburg.

Bowman is the outlier in American whiskey's geography. It sits in Virginia rather than Kentucky, runs a small copper still, and releases its cask strength batches in quantities that disappear quickly — the reason the numbered batches get tracked individually rather than treated as one continuous product.

At 68.8% ABV and ten years old, Batch #5 is dense. The extra age past the standard Bowman releases shows in the oak, and nothing was cut on the way into the bottle, so the concentration is entirely the barrel's.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Rich caramel, vanilla bean, dark cherry, toasted oak, brown sugar and warm baking spice.
• Palate: Full-bodied and concentrated — crème brûlée, dark fruit, vanilla, caramelized sugar, cinnamon and seasoned oak, with hints of leather and tobacco.
• Finish: Long and warming, with lingering dark caramel, oak spice, vanilla and mature barrel character.

Specs

• Distillery: A. Smith Bowman Distillery, Fredericksburg, Virginia
• Type: Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Release: Cask Strength, Batch #5
• Age: 10 years
• Proof: 137.6 (68.8% ABV)
• Production: Small batch, copper distilled
• Size: 750ml

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Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this Kentucky bourbon? No — it's Virginia straight bourbon, distilled and bottled by A. Smith Bowman in Fredericksburg. Bourbon can legally be made anywhere in the United States; only the Kentucky designation requires the state. Bowman is one of the few well-known producers working outside Kentucky at this level.
• How do the Cask Strength batches differ? Each is its own release with its own age and proof — they've run from the mid 130s into the mid 140s across batches. Batch #5 lands at 137.6 proof at ten years, so it's on the more approachable side of a range that gets very hot at the top.
• What does copper distilled mean here? Bowman finishes its spirit on a copper pot still, and copper strips sulphur compounds during distillation. On a bourbon this concentrated the effect matters — it's part of why the whiskey reads rich rather than harsh at nearly 69% ABV.