James Cree's 8 Year Old Cattle Ranch Whiskey | 700ML

Tennessee bourbon whiskey here from James Cree's, produced from a mash bill of 80% corn, 10% rye, and 10% barley. Seeing as it's a Tennessee whiskey, it goes through the Lincoln County process whereby the new make is filtered through sugar maple charcoal before being filled into virgin American oak barrels for eight years of ageing. A suitably sweet, toasty expression.

James Cree's 8 Year Old Cattle Ranch Whiskey | 700ML Tasting Notes

Nose: Orange oil, chocolate fudge, and caramel popcorn, with a hit of chilli spice.

Palate: White chocolate, woody spices, vanilla cream, and clove-studded orange.

Finish: Chocolate spread on toast, with more citrus lingering.

Distillery Information

The James Cree whiskey brand is owned by Halewood Artisanal Spirits. Halewood are an independent distiller and bottler of spirits with an impressive portfolio of brands. The James Cree name was a new one on me but a bit of digging soon unearthed a fascinating story. It appears the brand began life as American Eagle but an understandable challenge from Sazerac, over its likeness to their Eagle Rare brand, meant that things had to change. So Halewood rebranded but why James Cree? Halewood also owns the Crabbie’s whisky brand and way back in 1836, when John Crabbie was just getting started, he partnered with a man named William Cree. Together, they acquired the Leith firm of James Wyld & Co and soon became very successful traders of wines and spirits. William Cree passed away in 1840 but his son, James, had already joined the company. James E. Cree followed in his father’s footsteps and became a successful merchant but in 1885, he decided to retire and in a somewhat surprising move, bought a ranch and land in what would become New Mexico, USA. Cree arrived in the US in September 1885 with his family in tow. There he would become instrumental in the introduction of Aberdeen Angus cows. 150 bulls were shipped across the Atlantic from Scotland with several dying on the drive from Santa Fe to the ranch but the survivors were soon breeding with the ranch’s native livestock. As an intriguing sidenote: Cree’s first ranch manager was Pat Garret. THAT Pat Garret. The same Pat Garret who hunted down and shot Henry McCarty aka William H. Bonney aka Billy the Kid, just a few years prior, in 1881. Cree was already 68 when he took ownership of the ranch and in 1891 he passed away. His son, also James, took over the business and the Angus V V Ranch would remain in the family until it was eventually sold on in 1931. Now, what any of this has to do with whiskey is anyone’s guess. From what I could see, the Cree family had no involvement with American whiskey at all. I don’t think anyone would argue, however, that it’s a better story and therefore a better brand name than the rather cliched American Eagle.

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