Bulleit Bourbon

Just posted my 100th Scotch review, and thought that I should get all the upgrading out of the way, so here’s my 10th Bourbon review.

My last dram in the UK, and of course, it’s a Bourbon. See my earlier rant about finding things in Canada for why.

Also it is time for me to slow down a little bit. I may have foie gras my own liver, and that is, in theory, a bad idea. Especially since every European high brow is looking at me and holding a cracker now.

Bulleit Bourbon is well known for it’s high rye count (28% of the mash bill). The other portions are 68% corn and 4% malted barely. It’s aged for at least 6 years, which used to be pretty lengthy (by Bourbon standards). This one is made in Kentucky, as opposed to the Rye, which is made in Indiana.

I had reviewed the Bulleit Rye[1] earlier before getting on the plane, so it was fitting to review this one as the last dram of our trip.

Region: Kentucky

Abv: 45%

Price: $38.45 (CAD)

Colour: Watered down Frangelico

Nose: Macadamia nuts, stewed vegetables, butterscotch, corn, oregano, honey

Very nutty flavour comes forward at first, and it’s a little rough around the edges. Not a bad amount of roughness.

Taste: Sweet corn, butter, jalapeno, caramel, chocolate, raspberry, honey, rose water

There’s a lot more sweetness here, but I’m not getting the usual rye spiciness. I think I may need to re-review it again, as I’m starting to wonder about the bottle it came from.

Finish: Oak, cherry, strawberry, dandelion leaves, syrup, lemon rind

Still no spice, which makes me sad. It’s fruity and still has a little vegetal tones to it. However I’m used to rye having some spice, can someone confirm?

Conclusion: If I’m rating the dram I had, it was missing something I wanted. I wanted some spice, I wanted something other than sweetness and earthiness. It’s still quite good, it has some great flavours, and it really does it all well, but dammit, I want some cinnamon/nutmeg or cumin flavours to pop it up a tad.

Like I said before: I’m wondering if the bottle had something iffy with it (maybe open too long or was 40%), so I’m going to re-review this in the future.

81/100

Bourbon review #10, Kentucky #8, Whiskey Network review #130

1001 Whiskies to taste before you die review #76