A 117.4-proof single barrel that layers raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, coconut and vanilla over a surprisingly silky bourbon base.
Stats
- Type: Finished Bourbon
- Age: 6 years and 11 months
- Proof: 117.4 (58.7% ABV)
- Mashbills: 75% Corn | 21% Rye | 4% Malted Barley
- Origin: MGP — Lawrenceburg, Indiana
- Additional Aging: Southern Collective — Nashville, Tennessee
- Finishing Cask: Port
- Finishing Time: 5 months
- Release: Limited release, single barrel, club pick, finished
- Pick By: Whacked Out Whiskey Club
- MSRP: $89.99 / 750 mL (via Southern Collective)
Tasting Notes
- Nose: The nose is hugely sweet, opening with confectioners sugar and toasted marshmallow before moving into a surprisingly bright hint of grilled pineapple. It feels rich and dessert-like right away, but that tropical note gives it a little lift.
- Palate: The palate is silky and coating, with raspberry jam leading the way and a nondescript baking spice gradually building underneath. The sweetness is substantial, but the texture keeps it from feeling heavy.
- Finish: The baking spice reaches its peak before giving way to the first real hint of what I associate with MGP-style oak character. From there, the finish just keeps going, leaving behind blueberry donut, coconut, pineapple and custard-like vanilla in a long, lingering finish.
Some bottles arrive with a story before you ever pull the cork. P. Cola Select came my way after I won Two Fools, One Bourbon’s 10K giveaway. That alone makes this a fun bottle to have on the shelf, but the whiskey itself gives me plenty to talk about.
At 117.4 proof, this single-barrel bourbon gets a port-barrel finish that takes it into some genuinely unexpected territory. There’s plenty of sweetness here: raspberry jam, blueberry donut, pineapple, coconut and custard-like vanilla, but underneath it is a subtle thread of oak and baking spice that keeps the whiskey from becoming nothing more than a dessert pour.
Presentation
Southern Collective has consistently had some of the prettier NDP bottles I’ve come across. The clean bottle lets the whiskey’s color do the talking, while the gold logo adds just enough visual polish without making the package feel busy.
I also really like the bottom label and different colored wax used across the lineup. It’s a relatively simple presentation, but the details give it plenty of personality.
Distinctiveness
This is honestly one of the wilder port finishes I’ve encountered.
There is a little of what I affectionately call the MGP oak coming through on the middle of the palate, but the port finish ultimately takes this whiskey somewhere pretty unusual. Raspberry, blueberry, pineapple, coconut and custard-like vanilla aren’t flavors I would expect to find stacked together quite this neatly, and the combination makes P. Cola Select genuinely memorable.
More importantly, the finish doesn’t simply overwhelm the bourbon. There’s enough baking spice and oak underneath the fruit and confectionary notes to give the whiskey some structure.
“…honestly one of the wilder port finishes I’ve encountered.”
Transparency
This is where I’d like to see Southern Collective give the consumer a little more.
The bottle tells us the bourbon was distilled in Indiana, which will lead many whiskey drinkers to assume MGP/Ross & Squibb, and the oak on the finish certainly provides a clue. But the readily available information doesn’t provide the mashbill, specific port barrel type or finishing duration easily on the label.
Those details matter with a whiskey this dependent on its finishing process. I’d love to see that information made more accessible, particularly on the bottle or product page. Fortunately, both Ryan and Whacked Out Whiskey club were able to give me that information.
Value
At roughly $90, P. Cola Select is a bit high for a nearly 7 year old MGP bourbon, even with the additional finishing time. The whiskey in the glass is certainly interesting enough to make the conversation, and the finishing work is genuinely distinctive so it’s a matter of personal and subjective value here.
Buy if:
- You enjoy boldly finished bourbons that don’t taste like everything else on the shelf.
- Fruit-forward dessert notes like raspberry, blueberry, pineapple and vanilla sound appealing.
- You like bourbon with high proof and a long finish.
- You’re looking for a genuinely unusual pour rather than another conventional bourbon profile.
Skip if:
- You prefer traditional bourbon profiles with less finishing influence.
- Heavy sweet and confectionary flavors aren’t your thing.
- You want complete mashbill and finishing details before buying.
- You’re looking for a bottle where the price-to-value equation is already easy to establish.
Verdict
P. Cola Select is exactly the kind of bottle that reminds me why I enjoy exploring independent and finished whiskey. It isn’t trying to deliver the most traditional bourbon experience, and that’s a big part of its appeal. The combination of raspberry jam, blueberry donut, grilled pineapple, coconut and custard-like vanilla makes for a seriously distinctive profile, while the baking spice and oak keep it from completely disappearing into sweetness.
I do wish Southern Collective made more of the whiskey’s production details readily available. The mashbill, port barrel specifics and finishing time would give drinkers a much better understanding of what went into creating this profile. Still, based on the whiskey in the glass, P. Cola Select is a fun and unusual single barrel that gives finished-bourbon drinkers something genuinely different to explore.
Bourbon Bishop Bottom Line:
A wildly sweet, fruit-forward port-finished bourbon with a silky palate and a surprisingly long, memorable finish.
For those who prefer numbers, here’s the full score breakdown:
- Nose: 5.25 / 7
- Palate: 5.25 / 7
- Finish: 5.5 / 7
- Presentation: 6 / 7
- Distinctiveness: 6 / 7
- Transparency: 6 / 7
- Value: 5 / 7
Bourbon Bishop Rating: 5.57 / 7 – Divine
Top-shelf. Must-buy for fans of the style.
| Score | Descriptor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | Hell No | Drain pour. Seriously undrinkable. |
| 1.1–2 | Purgatory | Bad, but could be worse. Only in extreme cases. |
| 2.1–3 | Only Earthly | Just okay. Best used as a mixer. |
| 3.1–4 | Bliss | Passable to Good sipper. Works well in cocktails. |
| 4.1–5 | Angelic | Good to great. Often high value for the price. |
| 5.1–6 | Divine | Top-shelf. Must-buy for fans of the style. |
| 6.1–7 | Holy Heaven | Out-of-this-world. A true unicorn. |
Disclosure: This bottle was provided to me free of charge via randomly drawn giveaway. All opinions are my own.
About Southern Collective
Southern Collective is an independent whiskey brand focused on selecting, finishing and presenting distinctive American whiskey rather than simply putting another bourbon on the shelf. The brand and its Master Blender, Ryan Teague, have developed a reputation for exploring different barrel finishes and single-barrel expressions, giving its bottles a personality that can stand apart from more traditional bourbon releases.
As with many independent whiskey brands, the story behind what’s in the bottle is part of the appeal. Southern Collective’s releases offer an opportunity to explore how barrel selection, finishing and proof can reshape a whiskey’s character, with expressions ranging from familiar bourbon foundations to more adventurous finishing profiles.
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