Love him or hate him, Raj has made a huge impact on the American industry. After being forced out from the brand he founded, , he went on to start and has released some superb vintage whiskeys and blends that are finished in Armagnac barrels. Even if you don’t subscribe to his MAGA-leaning politics, which he certainly doesn’t hide, you can’t deny the quality of his latest release: a 2011 vintage Tennessee that was, once again, finished in Armagnac barrels.
This is the third release in ‘s vintage bourbon series, and it’s a small one that draws from just 11 barrels total. It’s also the most mature to date at 12 years and 10 months old, including a 12-month finish in what the brand says was “a range of single vintage Armagnac casks curated from the [Bhakta-Griswold Spirits Library’s] 1970s and 1980s verticals,” including Armagnac vintages from 1973, 1975, and 1985. The mashbill for the 111-proof bourbon is 84 percent corn, eight percent rye, and eight percent malted barley. Considering the spirit was made in Tennessee and underwent the Lincoln County process, that points to it likely being whiskey from the Cascade Hollow Distilling Co. in Tullahoma (although the brand does not disclose the source). We got to sample this new release, and it’s delicious and complex with notes of rum raisin, fresh berries, black pepper, brandied cherry, creme brulee, toasted nuts, and leather on the palate.
Bhakta is no stranger to politics, having unsuccessfully run for Congress in Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2006, and no stranger to Trump, having been a contestant on The Apprentice in 2004. A few weeks ago, he appeared on Fox Business with host Stuart Varney to talk about on imported liquor—which differs from what many American whiskey producers are saying, at least publicly. “Are we gonna put, as businessmen, the interests of the country first, or are you gonna put your own personal self interest first?” he said. “Over half of everything I sell is coming out of France, which is in the crosshairs of Look at the problem we have gotten ourselves into. In this whole mindset of ‘free trade is great,’ we’ve transferred tens of millions of dollars abroad, gutted our own ability to produce here.”
He went on to claim that he has more than a billion dollars worth of booze once it’s all put into bottles, and that his business is doing great despite some downturns in the industry overall. “What the president is trying to do is a readjustment of 60 years of bad policy,” he said. “The pencilheads in our top schools and the elite in the government said, ‘We’re gonna turn America into the great whore of the world. They can send all of their products here, we can’t send it out.” Then just last week he appeared on Real America’s Voice to double down on his position, saying that Trump should stop negotiating and make tariffs doctrine. “[We need] high, sustained tariffs, and only under those circumstances will business make investments,” he said, a statement that many others in the industry vociferously disagree with.
You can order the new Bhakta 2011 Bourbon directly from the brand’s now, and you can find other bottles in the lineup available to purchase from websites like and at specialty retailers.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker
Credit: robbreport.com
