Riverside County Sheriff’s Department

End of Watch: Sunday, October 18, 2020

This was the First Responder Whiskey Society’s first barrel pick.  This barrel was selected to honor Riverside County Sheriff’s K9 Sergeant Harry Cohen.  Harry was one of our founding members and had a love for whiskey.  The tasting panel for this barrel consisted of President Nick Nguyen and Executive Director Sarah Jeltema.  Extreme care was put into picking out the flavors for this barrel.  A typical blending and tasting session for picking a Maker’s Mark barrel takes around an hour.  This barrel took 4 hours to decide upon.

The thoughts behind this barrel selection were to find something flavorful and exciting that could stand up to being diluted down with ice or water, yet not be overpowering if drank neat.  The resulting whisky was a great pick that was universally loved and sold out in several days.

The stave selection picked for this barrel was 4 Seared French Cuvee, 4 Maker’s Mark 46, and 2 Roasted French Mocha.  The finished product was an explosive whiskey brimming with sweet, savory, and buttery flavors with every sip.  Additionally, the finish was long and smooth, allowing the taste buds to enjoy an incredibly long journey with the whisky until it slowly left you wondering if it was truly gone or if you were still tasting the whisky.

Proceeds from the sale of this barrel were donated to Harry’s family via the Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Relief Foundation.