Tom's Town Pendergast Royal Gold

Tasting notes: caramelized sugar, pleasant oak, and stone fruitUntil he could fire up his own still, the country’s most corrupt political boss, Tom Pendergast, procured the finest bourbon, bottled it, trademarked the brand name, and sold Royal Gold to a thirsty public. In the same spirit and with the same name, we present Pendergast’s Royal Gold Bourbon. We didn’t have to bribe anyone to make it taste this good.With aromas of caramelized sugar, pleasant oak, and stone fruits, this bourbon is perfect for treating special guests. To achieve a smooth and well-balanced flavor, we finish Royal Gold in hand-selected 14-year-old ruby port casks.

Proof: 90ABV: 45%

Tom's Town Double Oaked Bourbon

Tasting notes: a warm and spicy bourbon with notes of maple, butterscotch and honey. Our innovative wood stave finishing process begins with traditional aging in white American oak barrels, and is complemented by a second aging with French and American oak staves which are inserted later in the process. The staves bring out notes of caramel, without the bitterness that can come with additional aging. This is a crowd-pleasing bourbon that’s perfect for cocktails.

Proof: 90ABV: 45%

West Bottoms Whiskey Co

Kansas City Whiskey is a pre-prohibition style of blended American whiskey based on the process of rectification, the blending of up to 2.5% sherry into the whiskey. Our unique Kansas City Whiskey blends 3yo Rye and rye-heavy Bourbon whiskeys with a dry Oloroso sherry from Spain. The result is a beautiful sipping whiskey with a warm spicy front and a smooth, earthy, fruity finish.

Maker's Mark Private Select

At Maker's Mark, our wood-finishing series was created to explore new, unique expressions of our signature whiskey. Beginning as fully matured Maker's Mark® at cask strength, Private Selection is created by adding 10 custom wood finishing staves to each barrel. It's then aged in our limestone cellar to extract a unique, flavorful taste profile. Participants in this special barrel program get their say in the selection of these wooden staves. The finishing staves can be any combination of five flavor profiles chosen especially for this program. With 1,001 possible stave combinations, each expression of Private Selection has a customized finish and taste profile that is unique, yet undeniably Maker's®.

AGING: 5 3/4 to 7 years, plus finishing of 9 weeks in cold conditions in barrels with chosen combination of staves

TASTE: Varies by selection and stave combination

PROOF: Cask Strength (108–114)

Holladay Distillery Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Bottled in Bond, Ben Holladay Bourbon is aged in a level three, charred, Missouri white oak barrel and is non-chill filtered. It is produced using many of our original methods including a two-grain cooker system, same distillation proofs, and barrel entry proof. This is handcrafted small-batch bourbon, with each batch being pulled monthly from different barrels spread out on different floors of our two seven-story rickhouses and blended by our master distiller to match our strict criteria for flavor profile.

Approximately 80% of the very first batch will be sourced from barrels that were aged on the fifth floor of Warehouse C, the largest rickhouse on-site. The remaining 20% of the bourbon will come from barrels aged on the first floor of the same warehouse.The ratios of each subsequent batch of Ben Holladay Bourbon will be unique as we embrace the variable aging between floors. The temperature can vary by as much as 30 degrees between the top and bottom floors, resulting in differences in taste between barrels that have aged in the cooler temperatures and higher humidity found on the first floor versus the warmer and drier conditions on the higher floors. These differences are most dramatic in the early years and diminish over time, but are still present at the six-year aging mark.

Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style

Old Forester 1920 Prohibition Style is the third expression in the Old Forester Whiskey Row Series. According to the neck tag on the bottle, “During Prohibition, only six Kentucky distilleries were granted permits to bottle bourbon for medicinal purposes. Brown-Forman, maker of Old Forester, secured Permit KY - 3. In 1920, the first bottles under this permit were produced.” It goes on to say “To match the usual barrel proof of that bourbon after maturation, it is presented at 115 proof.

NOSE: The aroma is rich and powerful. Dark fruit, burnt brown sugar, chocolate, and a hint of bananas make up the components. Not surprising for the proof, it tingles the nostrils with a trace of ethanol. It’s a nice aroma overall, and can be easily described as a unique relative to other bourbons.

PALATE: It’s big, bold, and immediately likeable. The richness of barrel char and dark chocolate play against the sweetness of caramel and creme brulee. There’s a nuttiness to it as well, along with some smokiness and a hint of coffee. The taste is reminiscent of some of the better Old Forester Birthday Bourbons I’ve had, but admittedly more pronounced and, to put it bluntly, better than I remember.

FINISH: Allspice and black pepper pop initially. They quickly dissipate and leave a long-lingering finish without further introduction of new flavors, but a pleasing end to those introduced on the palate. Dark chocolate, barrel char, and that nuttiness are the most prominent. It’s a nice finish, plain and simple.