Doc Swinson’s French Toasted Oak Bourbon Whiskey
Doc Swinson's French Toasted Oak Bourbon Whiskey is the first release in the brand's double-oak line — a 750mL cask-strength bourbon (bottled around 110 proof; proof varies by batch) that takes 5.5-plus-year MGP straight bourbon (mash bills 60% corn/36% rye/4% malted barley and 75% corn/21% rye/4% malted barley) and finishes it in new, medium-toast French oak casks from Taransaud Cooperage in the heart of Cognac, France. The oak comes from the Tronçais forest and is seasoned a minimum of 36 months before the cooperage raises the casks. It was named Finished Bourbon of the Year at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Order online at Del Mesa Liquor for San Diego delivery or pickup.
- Proof / ABV: cask strength, around 110 proof (batch-varying; 108.6–110.6 documented)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: minimum 5.5 years in American white oak before the French oak finish
- Origin: distilled in Indiana (MGP); finished, blended, and bottled in Ferndale, Washington
- Production: finished in new medium-toast French oak (Taransaud, Tronçais forest, 36-month-seasoned staves)
Cognac's Cooperage Meets Kentucky's Whiskey
Finishing bourbon in wine casks is common; finishing it in new French oak from a Cognac cooperage is the gamble Doc Swinson's took with the Exploratory Cask series' first double-oak release. Taransaud's barrels — the same wood that matures some of France's finest Cognacs — bring a different toast vocabulary to the high-rye MGP base: one reviewer noted it drinks "much more like an old Scotch whisky for Cognac lovers, with hints of American bourbon peaking in." The San Francisco judges agreed, crowning it 2023 Finished Bourbon of the Year.
Tasting Notes
Dark chocolate and stone fruits lead, with toasted notes of vanilla, clove, and baked apple bread — the French oak speaking in a different accent than American white oak. The palate is full and polished, the rye spice rounded by the toast rather than buried by it.
How to Enjoy
Neat in a tulip glass to catch the apple-bread and clove aromatics, or with a splash of water at cask strength. It pairs beautifully with milk chocolate or a fruit tart. Compare it against the sherry-finished expressions in our bourbon whiskey collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes it "French toasted oak"?
After 5.5-plus years in American oak, the bourbon finishes in new, medium-toast French oak casks from Taransaud Cooperage in Cognac, France — wood from the Tronçais forest, seasoned at least 36 months.
Has it won awards?
Yes — Finished Bourbon of the Year, 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
What proof is it?
Proof varies by batch: the brand page lists 108.6 proof and current retail batches bottle at 110.6 proof (55.3% ABV) — always cask strength.
For a bourbon that drinks like a bridge between Kentucky and Cognac, order from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.