Bourbon Descriptions (2024)

Bardstown Bourbon Company Fusion Series #7
A blend of 3- 3 year and 2- 12 year old straight bourbons.Aromas of vanilla, barrel char, dark oak, and cognac. Almonds add into the mix once you taste it, along with some herbal and malt taste. The finish is similar with the addition of toffee, cedar, more almond, and tannins, with heat at the end. There's a lot going on, but it's definitely enjoyable.

Ezra Brooks 99
Light scent and bold flavors of a tradition bourbon - charred oak, vanilla, creamy caramel, and brown sugar. Towards the end expect some white peppercorn and peanuts for a bit of a kick. A good value for a high proof bourbon.

Flying Ace Bourbon
A blend of 3 and 4-year-old sourced bourbons using 21% and 36% rye mashbills, aged in new oak barrels and blended to bring out notes of caramel, vanilla, toasted rye spice, and ripe stone fruit.

IW Harper Cabernet Cask
4 year old straight sourced bourbon finished in California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This bourbon resembles a chocolate covered cherry with added caramel and vanilla, and finishes without the typical dry finish that many wine cask finished bourbons possess.

Oak & Eden Toasted Oak Bourbon & Spire
An example of "in-bottle" finishing. Red Hot cinnamon-sweet opening, with oak, caramel, and woody vanilla and pine. The oak stave in the bottle creates a dry mouthfeel with a continued spicy/sweet edge.The finish is fairly short, dry, oaky, and resurfaces the Red Hots note for a warming end.

Redemption Wheated Bourbon
Flavors of roasted coffee beans, smoked meats, and hazelnut marry harmoniously with spicy notes of cardamom and black pepper and a fresh hint of mint. The sourced mashbill consists of 45% wheat.
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Tin Cup 10 Yr. Bourbon
An American whiskey produced with a typical bourbon mashbill, then mixed with an American single malt whiskey. Oak and vanilla aromas lead into sweet notes of orange zest, oak, vanilla bean, and brown sugar with a hint of rye spice. Oaky and a dry at the finish.

Blanton’s Single Barrel
A high-rye bourbon whose spiciness doesn't overwhelm everything else. Exhibits aroma of vanilla, caramel, butterscotch, and baking spices. Sweet tasting with notes of citrus and oak. Best enjoyed neat or on the rocks.

Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof
Uncut, straight from the barrel without chill filtering, the nose, taste and finish created by twelve years of aging are preserved in their simplest form.

Four Roses Single Barrel
A premium single-barrel bourbon with a taste you'll want to savor again and again. Complex, full bodied and surprisingly smooth, with a long finish that's unbelievably mellow.

Four Roses Small Batch
Four of the 10 recipes used by Four Roses were selected and blended to create a perfectly balanced small batch bourbon that rewards you with a mellow symphony of sweet, fruity aromas and rich, spicy flavors.

Four Roses Small Batch Select
Classic bourbon aromas of sweet vanilla, cinnamon and oak, plus fruit cobbler, caramel, a touch of creme Brulé, and spice. Each sip delivers a creamy mouthfeel and a medium length spicy finish.

Jefferson’s Ocean – Aged at Sea
Aroma and taste of sweet caramel and vanilla up front, followed by cinnamon spice and finishing with a bit of black pepper. This is sourced distillate from undisclosed sources that is then aged on container ships traveling the world, and bottled once it returns to KY. The constant movement and climate changes onboard the ship enhance the aging process. Bottles are labeled with the voyage number and information for each voyage can be found on the website.

Russells Reserve Single Barrel 110 Proof
Wild Turkey's almost barrel proof bourbon provides caramel, oak spiciness from start to finish. Though no age statement is on the bottle, it's likely an 8-10 year old barrel.

Old Forester 1870
The first bourbon from a major producer blended by a woman in the modern era. Fruity and flora aromas with vanilla and caramel. The taste matches the aromas with a bit of spice at the finish.
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Yellowstone Select Straight Bourbon
The company donates a portion of Yellowstone Bourbon’s proceeds to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). This independent, nonpartisan organization is devoted to nurturing America’s national parks for future generations. This is a decent bourbon easily enjoyed by most.

Buffalo Trace
Aromas of vanilla, mint, and molasses lead to tastes of brown sugar, spice, oak, and leather. Adding water reveals flavors of toffee, dark fruit, and anise.

Eagle Rare 10 Yr.
Complex aroma of toffee, hints of orange peel, herbs, honey, leather and oak. The taste is bold, dry and delicate with notes of candied almonds and very rich cocoa. The finish is smooth, dry, and lingering.Aged for no less than 10 years.

Henry McKenna 10 Yr. Single
Aromas of vanilla, caramel, oak and a light herbaceous note. Smooth, spicy and sweet tasting with a long, sweet and spicy finish.

Jefferson’s Very Small Batch
Aged in the heart of metal clad warehouses to accentuate the extreme temperatures that Kentucky is blessed with, forcing the bourbon to expand deep into the barrel and pull out the prevalent flavors of the wood. These flavors of vanilla, caramel and assorted fruits assure an incredibly smooth taste and finish.

Joseph Magnus
Distillate sourced from MGP in IN then triple cask finished in Oloroso sherry, Pedro Ximénez sherry, and cognac casks for a unique flavor profile of apricot, roasted nuts, caramel and vanilla.

Lost High Rye Straight Bourbon
The founders at Lost Whiskey Club love the outdoors, and strive to incorporate the taste and feel of nature into each bottle. Each single barrel, straight bourbon is identified by a unique leather strap and story number - so you can always remember when, where, and with whom you enjoyed it. This single barrel, straight bourbon is the perfect combination of spice on the front end with a creamy smoothness on the back.

Lost High Wheat Straight Bourbon
The founders at Lost Whiskey Club love the outdoors, and strive to incorporate the taste and feel of nature into each bottle.Each single barrel, straight bourbon is identified by a unique leather strap and story number - so you can always remember when, where, and with whom you enjoyed it. The high wheat bourbon presents with soft notes of vanilla and caramels.
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Woodford Reserve
Woodford Reserve is the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, featuring the rich, smooth flavors of complex citrus, cinnamon, toffee, chocolate and spice notes with a well-rounded, smooth finish.

Bare Knuckles VA Straight
An easy sipping bourbon; creamy vanilla, coconut, and oak combined with a faint baked banana bread-like quality. The finish has a hint of peanut brittle. Made with grains from a local Virginia farm.

Caiseal
Aromas of vanilla, charred oak, cola, cherry, leading to brown sugar, charred oak, chocolate chip cookie and warming spices on the palate with a dry finish.This is the first bourbon produced by Caiseal Beer & Spirits at The Vanguard Brewpub & Distillery located in the former National Guard Armory in Hampton, VA.Caiseal is the Gaelic term for “ring fortress.”

Kopper Kettle Apple Whiskey
A blend of Virginia aged whiskey, corn whiskey and 100% apple juice, rested for two months in new oak and applewood chips before receiving a further four years of barrel aging. Produced from grains harvested on Belmont Farms.

Mary Hite Bowman Caramel Cream
Mary Hite Bowman was an 18th-century American pioneer woman, George Bowman’s wife, mother to 13 children and the matriarch of the Bowman family. This liqueur is a delicate blend of our award-winning bourbon with local dairy cream and caramel to create the perfect dessert-like after dinner indulgence.

Ragged Branch Signature Bourbon
A farm-to-bottle distillery that grows, harvests, and mills the rye and corn to craft their bourbon recipe. It’s then distilled, aged, and bottled on site. The residual mash is fed to the cattle on the farm.

Reservoir
A 100% corn bourbon with a balance of sweetness. Aroma of vanilla, chalk, corn and toast that lead to tastes of char, coffee and pecan. The finish begins with a slight tobacco leaf taste transitioning to a lingering sweet cherry finish.

Reverend Spirits
Contract distilled prior to distillery opening and aged four years. A flavorful bourbon exhibiting notes of dark brown sugar, creamy caramel, and ample oak. Flavors of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and dark co*cktail cherries emerge.
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Tarnished Truth
A high rye (36%) bourbon, sourced and then finished in VA and aged 3 years. When selecting barrels they look for a flavor profile of honey, clove, cinnamon, plum, and raisin.

Basil Hayden
The lightest bodied bourbon whiskey in the family of Jim Beam small batch bourbons. Its80 proof is incontrast with its three sibling brands of higher concentration (Knob Creek, Booker's, and Baker's).A high rye bourbon with aromas of peaches, ripe mixed berries, oak, orange zest and white pepper and tastes of vanilla, new wood and peaches. Sweetly smooth with almost nonexistent finish.

Basil Hayden Subtle Smoke
Aroma and taste of toffee, vanilla, and oak, with a light pinch of smoke.The finish features a slight ramp up of smokiness and coffee bean. Subtle is the key word for this smoked bourbon.

Booker’s
Booker's is one of the only uncut, unfiltered, straight-from-the-barrel, bourbons available today. It has intense flavors from oak tannin and smoky vanilla to lighter tones of mocha and coffee. Add spring water to customize the taste and finish to your palate. The complexity provided by this straight-from-the-barrel bourbon makes Booker's the rarest bourbon you'll ever taste.

Jim Beam Peach
KY straight bourbon infused with peach liquor. Enjoy straight, on the rocks, or mixed with club soda. You compare with Crown Royal Peach at station #6.

Knob Creek Quarter Oak
A limited release from 2019. Knob Creek standard bourbon aged a minimum of 4 years in a quarter cask (13 vs. 53 gallons), then mixed with additional KC bourbon. Ratios not disclosed. The nose and palate exhibit a nice interplay between sweet and dry flavors. The long finish provided rich dry oak, leather, a flash of syrup, and a hint of cinnamon spice.

Knob Creek Smoked Maple
Knob Creek's original Kentucky Straight Bourbon blended with natural flavors to create this bourbon with an aroma of smoked hickory and maple wood. The mid-palate is full-bodied, with inviting maple notes that lift to smoke and are complemented with rich vanilla and caramel. The finish is smoky, smooth, and slightly sweet.

Knob Creek Straight 9 Yr.
A Mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley, with aromas of vanilla, light oak and caramel with a slight nuttiness and a dab of fresh marshmallows.Tastes are the same with the addition of a bit of green peppercorn, and a finish the blends them all together with a spicy rye kick at the end.
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Legent
A dual creation of Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe and Suntory Master Blender Shinji f*ckuyo, using Beam bourbon stock. It’s also the first entirely new brand to emerge from Beam since the Small Batch Collection. A blend of straight bourbon and bourbon aged in red wine and sherry casks. An easily enjoyed sipper.

Belle Meade Madeira Cask Finish
The third release in this award-winning Special Cask Finish Series, this bourbon is a blend of 6-9 year-old high rye bourbons finished in Malmsey Madeira casks.

Clyde May’s Straight Bourbon
Named after a legendary moonshiner in Alabama. This bourbon is produced by adding oven dried apples in the aging process to introduce a sweetness that makes the spirit more pleasant. This format has since been titled the “Alabama Style Tippling Whiskey”. Described as a peach cobbler with spice. Great in an Old Fashioned.

Crown Royal Peach
Crown Royal whisky infused with the juicy flavor of fresh Georgia peaches.The harmonious notes of this summer fruit complement the richness of Crown Royal Blended Whisky. The result is a vibrantly delicious whisky, bursting with the luscious flavor of peach and the distinctive smoothness of Crown Royal.

Few Bourbon
The name is taken from Frances Elizabeth Willard’s initials, an historical figure who made Evanston the home of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union. Ironically, Frances was a staunch supporter of prohibition and played a part in ensuring Evanston remained a dry city from 1855- 1972.The aromas of cherries, rich caramel, and seasoned wood mingle with burnt brown sugar creating an odd mix that's wonderfully interesting and strangely inviting. A craft bourbon with widely differing reviews - sample and decide for yourself.

George Remus Straight Bourbon
A high-rye blend of bourbons with a strong cherry aroma and taste, and a spicy, long finish. Great for sipping.

Heaven’s Door TN Bourbon
A sourced bourbon from KY.Its sweet palate transforms into a more toasted and spicy finish. Great for sipping. A collaboration with Bob Dylan and named as a reference to the musician’s 1973 hit “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.”
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Horse Soldier Straight Bourbon
A soft and sweet aroma makes up the heft of the nose, with touches of caramel, spice, and grain in tow. It’s followed by a gentle tasting palate that’s sweet and approachable, thanks to honey, vanilla, and lemon zest. It finishes with an impactful pop of oak and spice. The distillery was founded by a group of special operations officers who made up the nation's answer to the 9-11 attack by riding horseback in a Green Beret insertion in Northern Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.

Widow Jane 10 Yr. Straight Bourbon
Sourced from MGP (KY, IN, TN bourbons) hand-selected barrels, blended in NY and proofed with NY limestone mine water. Aromas of vanilla pudding next to oranges infused with mulled wine spices. Tastes of marzipan and dark chocolate-covered brandy cherries.

Balcones Pot Still
A distinctive style of bourbon made with a mashbill consisting of Blue Corn, Texas Wheat, Texas Rye, and Malted Barley. Aromas of roast chestnuts, burnt caramel, brown sugar and molasses flavor profile leans towards molasses, gingerbread, cream soda, and pecans with a toasted chocolatey malt and oaky finish.

Bib & Tucker
The name is a 19th century term for one's best clothing. A delightfully smooth bourbon with notes of chestnut, along with a strong vanilla scent with fresh cut sweet grass, wet stone and old leather-bound books. This bourbon is balanced with a hint of sweetness. Light, crisp, and spicy tasting with a complex, yet balanced chest-nutty taste.

Breckenridge
Deep honey-amber hue with warm, pronounced aromas of under-ripe banana and brown sugar, with spicy notes of white pepper and toasted sesame. Light body with warm texture and long sweet oak, vanilla finish with a touch of bitterness to balance. Reminiscent of a slice of toasted rye bread with honey drizzled on it.

Garrison Brothers Texas Honeydew Straight
Featuring a mashbill of 74% white Texas corn, 15% red wheat, and 11% Canadian Malted barley, this Texas straight bourbon whiskey is finished in Texas honey infused barrels. This is a very unique and easy drinking bourbon full of rich flavors but not overly sweet.

High West American Prairie
A sourced blend of 2- to 13-year-old barrels from assorted high-rye and other undisclosed mashbills. Aromas of caramel apples, new leather, vanilla pudding and sweet corn with a touch of salt. Tastes of creamed corn and southern biscuits with butter and honey.

Old Elk Blended Straight
Sourced distillate from 3 different locations in IN, NY and CO. This is a very smooth, easy drinking bourbon with consistent flavor profiles and a bit of a bite at the finish.

Redwood Empire Pipe Dream
A sourced bourbon that nails the caramel/vanilla/oak trio with expert precision. Easy sipping with a delightful strawberry rhubarb aftertaste.

Screwball Peanut Butter
A flavored whiskey full of peanut butter, caramel, coffee cream, shortbread, and toasted vanilla. A bit of heat and sweetness on the finish.
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Smoke Wagon Small Batch
Sourced from MGP in IN then aged in the dry heat of NV and blended to produce a unique, lively Small Batch bourbon that balances sweetness with woody-spiciness. The bottle has a stamped wax seal of two crossed guns and the phrase, “Bibamus Moriendum EST” denoting, "drink, for we must die" or according to the company, “drink and enjoy today because we won't be around forever.”

1792 Small Batch
The flagship bourbon of the distillery. It's brash and bold, yet smooth and balanced. Aromas and flavor profile of rye spice, vanilla and caramel with a hint of oak. Medium finish with rye on the front end, ending in sweet vanilla and caramel with a bit of dried fruitiness.

Bird Dog Chocolate
Rich chocolate scents with natural bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel. Its light chocolate touches layer into a gentle cocoa and warm finish. Perfect straight-up, on the rocks or in your favorite co*cktail for a sweet taste. Try it mixed with a Bourbon Cream.

Bird Dog Jalapeno Honey
The crisp jalapeno flavor combines perfectly with the smooth honey taste. Nationally recognized at the 2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition with a gold medal.

Bowman Brothers VA Straight
Starting with sweet and floral notes with the nose, oily and thick mouthfeel on the palate, and ending on a uniquely spicy finish, this is a great 90 proof, 6-7 year old $30 bourbon.

Elijah Craig Small Batch
Elijah Craig was a Baptist preacher who created the process for “true Kentucky bourbon” (putting his distillate into charred oak barrels). Vanilla, caramel, nut, and oak pop out from the start, with flavors of vanilla and oak dominating. The finish has a pop of heat with cinnamon and oak.

Evan Williams 1783 Small Batch
Classic bourbon scents of charred oak, caramel, and vanilla followed by light marshmallow and leather. Taste follows the aroma. The wallet-friendly price and sweeter flavor profile also allows for easy guilt free co*cktail experimentation.

Larceny
Hand selected to have a taste profile of a 6-year old KY Straight Bourbon, with aromas of fresh bread, toffee and a bit of butterscotch. Buttery caramel and honey tastes lead to a long, savory, sweet finish. This wheated bourbon gets its name from John E Fitzgerald's propensity to sneak into the warehouses and steal the best barrels for his personal use.
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Maker’s Mark Bourbon
A wheated bourbon. During the aging process the barrels are rotated from the upper to lower levels of the warehouses to even out the effect of differences in temperature during aging. Also Marker's Mark is one of the few American distilleries to use the Scottish spelling “Whisky” as opposed to the traditional American spelling “Whiskey.”

1792 Single Barrel
Traditional bourbon aroma and taste of caramel and vanilla with cherry fruit woven through.

Blade and Bow
A homage to the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery, Blade and Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey uses a unique Solera System aging process to preserve some of the distillery’s oldest whiskey stocks, including some of the last bourbon produced there before it closed in 1992. This bourbon has a subtle aroma of fresh fruit and a taste that includes hints of dried apricot, ripe pear and a sweet roasted grain. The finish has notes of charred oak and warm winter spices.

Cooper’s Craft Barrel Reserve
Brown-Forman is the only major distiller to own their own cooperage (barrel making facility). This bourbon was crafted to showcase the differences the barrel lends to the production of bourbon. In this case, the barrel is chiseled and heavily charred to produce a b old complex bourbon. Expect dark fruit aromas and taste with some spice and caramel corn and a long, spicy finish. Enjoy neat as a sipper to fully appreciate the complexity of this bourbon.

Kentucky Owl Confiscated in 1916
Made from sourced distillate from unnamed KY distilleries. Kentucky Owl's roots go back to 1879, though the modern-day company dates to 2014, when Dixon Dedman, the great-great grandson of founder C.M. Dedman, relaunched the brand. An expectation bourbon shrouded in mystery.

Maker’s Mark 46
Maker's 46 starts off as standard Maker’s Mark with heavily seared French oak staves placed in just-emptied standard Maker's Mark barrels, which are then refilled and returned to the warehouses to finish aging for an additional 2-3 months. Smells and tastes like Sunday Morning breakfast.

Rabbit Hole Heigold High Rye Bourbon
70% corn and 25% malted rye make up the mashbill. Expect sweet toasted corn aromas delivering butterscotch and citrus flavors with a peppery finish due to the rye. Named for a German immigrant, George Heigold, a stonecutter who settled in Louisville and used nature, imagination, and spontaneity to create works of art that inspired others.

Stagg Jr.
Named after 19th century bourbon businessman George T. Stagg, who built the distillery that would eventually be renamed Buffalo Trace. Batches have released twice a year. Uncut and unfiltered, features rich, sweet, chocolate and brown sugar flavors balanced with bold rye spiciness. The finish lingers with hints of cherries, cloves and smokiness.
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Wild Turkey Longbranch
Matthew McConaughey’s collaboration with Master Distiller Eddie Russell. This rare, small-batch bourbon is 8 year old Wild Turkey Bourbon refined with Texas mesquite and oak charcoals for deeper flavor and complexity. The whiskey has tasting notes of caramel, pear and hints of citrus round out the palate. The smoky finish is buttery smooth—with notes of gentle pepper and toasted oak.

Angel’s Envy Port Barrel
Aroma of warm caramel, maple candy, brown sugar and praline – a study in subtle complexity. The port-barrel aging is evident in the long, complex finish highlighting flavors of walnut, oak, orange marmalade, fresh mint and Seville orange.

Breckenridge Port Cask Finish
Begins with aromas of caramel and vanilla followed by a peppery rye. Tastes are the same with more of the dried fruit/port notes coming out at the end, along with a spicy rye.

Ironclad Finished in Maple Barrels
Features Ironclad’s signature bourbon finished for an additional 6 months in barrels that previously held maple syrup, which imparts a subtle sweetness, with toasted wood and baking spice notes.

Isaac Bowman Port Finish
Aged in charred white oak barrels, then finished in port barrels, many of which come from Virginia wineries. This combination of finishing barrels produces flavors of jam with caramel and spice notes.

Jefferson’s Old Rum Cask Finish
Bourbon aged for eight years, and then aged for an additional 15 months in Gosling’s Family Reserve Old Rum barrels. Presents with sugary rummy caramelized sugar, butter, and fresh crusty bread. Sips like a dessert rum/wine.

Rabbit Hole Dareringer Px Sherry Cask
Aromas of Sherry, Cherry and Caramel lead to flavors of raisins, vanilla, currents, almonds and cherry with a dry finish.
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Woodford Reserve Double Oaked
Aroma of dark fruit, caramel, sharp honey, chocolate, marzipan, and toasted oak. The taste is a full-bodied mix of vanilla, dark caramel, hazelnut, apple, fruit and spices with a long, creamy lingering finish with hints of honeyed apple.