- $70
- 119.6 Proof
- 7 years
- Missouri
With such a glut of new bottles, new distilleries and new brands still hitting the shelves nearly every day, it's impossible to keep up. While I'd love to try them all, there's just way too much out there. However, this particular bottle caught my eye.
I normally wouldn't think twice about a Missouri distillery. It's not exactly a state that's known for producing fan-favorite bourbons. But, this Ben Holladay Rickhouse Proof certainly gives the whiskey fan a reason to grab a bottle off the shelf -- a cask strength, age-stated bourbon at a relatively reasonable price! Couple that with the fact that others have told me it's pretty decent stuff, I had to give this distillery a go, and I'm glad I did!
The nose had traditional notes of vanilla and caramel. It also had a decent amount of cinnamon spice, hitting all the hallmarks of what I love in a good bourbon. It also had a dark fruit note to it, somewhere in between blackberry and cherry, that made me want to dive into my glass.
The flavor likewise took on many of those traditional bourbon notes that, quite frankly, make me love bourbon. It was very caramel forward, underscored by a slightly sweet, natural vanilla note. But, it never leaned overly sweet, as slightly bitter notes of oak and dark chocolate also made their way through, tempering any sweetness.
The dark fruit notes were also present, and here I definitely got more of a blackberry note that I absolutely love. This played really well with the vanilla and oak and made for something delicious. The finish added in a good amount of cinnamon spice that really seemed to round things out, making me wish I had that spicy note from the start.
This is an excellent bourbon, one which should make the casual bourbon drinker think twice about passing on Missouri bourbons, or at the very least, Ben Holladay bottlings. I really enjoyed this, and the bottle wasn't long for this world once I cracked that seal.
Grade: A-
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