It's the New World Water; and every drop counts

I will be honest, I was not immediately drawn to the Bulleit single barrels. The rumors about the origin of the whiskey were enough to get me intrigued at first. Was it Four Roses? Likely not. Is it Barton? Maybe so. All that aside, who really cares if it tastes good? I was able to help secure a selection for a friend at the distillery, which provided me the opportunity to taste barrels without any obligation to buy.

That strategy worked well because, despite my skepticism and expectations to be unimpressed, that simply wasn’t the case. The new facility in Shelbyville is no freaking joke. A no expense spared, state of the art facility knocking out 250+ barrels a day, all run by a supercomputer and skeletal crew of about 15 people. One of which was Melissa Rift, a fellow Mizzou grade like myself. She pulled a few extras to taste and after going through about 8 or so I had found one that I kept coming back to.

Definitely the outlier of the bunch, it had a deeper, darker, funky fruit-like characteristic to it that usually never fails to pique my interest. That alone was probably enough, but combined with the supremely scientific method of finishing my sample pour and asking for seconds was the only real indication I needed.

This 12yr old cask is comprised of the 21% rye mash bill with the ‘Fruity and Creamy’ #2 yeast strain. It is uncomplicated and delicious and leaves you wanting more. It tastes like good bourbon, smells like good bourbon, and drinks like, you guessed it, good bourbon! If you are more into the technical tasting notes kinda thing, then expect a welcoming aroma of pecan pie to greet you as soon as it hits the glass. There are sweet elements of brown sugar, caramel praline, and creme bruleé, complemented by some fruity components like dried dark cherries and black currants, and red licorice with just a faint hint of sulfur funkiness to it. A little time in the glass brings out nostalgic aromas from a soda fountain or candy shop, like cream soda sarsaparilla, vanilla, and root beer. The palate is big, bold, and chewy with a mouth-coating texture that is complemented by a spicy and drier finish. Well-balanced and very easy to like, you’ll probably want to grab a second bottle as a backup.

In the spirit of keeping our soundtrack still spinning, be sure to check out Mos Def’s “New World Water” while you pour yourself a glass of this whiskey. Be sure to pour a glass of water as well and be thankful for the clean drinking water we have access to.