The Story Remember that time I titled a website Scotch Dreams then proceeded to review mostly bourbons for the next several months?
Yeah. Me too.
Whoops.
Don't worry. I promise I'll get back to the scotch soon!
Anyway, here comes another bourbon review. I've been on a little bit of a bourbon kick lately. It's my father's favorite, and we've been spending a lot of time together.
Bulleit Bourbon is considered a solid American mid/lower tier bourbon. It is known for its high rye content which the distiller reports provides it with an enhanced spicy character.
Bulleit Bourbon was first produced in 1987, when Tom Bulleit Jr revived a family recipe that had been around for over 150 years.
I figured it was time to put this century and a half old recipe to the test.
Tasting Notes
Nose: Chemical candied cherries, the kind on a cheap, cheap sundae. Grainy malt and some oak. Very harsh alcohol burn in the nostrils that hides anything that might linger underneath it.
Taste: There is an immediate attack of vanilla and malted sweetness. There are grains and oak but without depth. I find the cherries from the nose as well. Again I am assailed by alcohol burn that burns away my taste buds and leaves the liquid in my mouth oddly tasteless. The palate was not impressive.
Finish: An intense sweetness appears at the midpoint of the finish, while it is a relief after the burnt tastelessness of the endpoint of the palate, it has the same chemical quality that I found on the nose. There are mouth drying tannins. The finish is fairly long, I just wasn't interested in what was there.
Review
This is not a bourbon to drink neat. I wouldn't recommend it with a dash of water either. The alcohol burn is abrasive in the nose, palate, and finish, and the flavors offer little to get excited about. While you can find some decent oak and cereal grain flavors, the dominant flavor - behind an abundance of alcohol harshness - is of fake tasting candied cherries.
All that said, this makes a decent mixing bourbon. We tried a few other drinks and threw some coke and some soda in after trying it neat and with water, and it was a good time. If you're wondering a Brooklyn was the night's winner.
However, at $25 for a 750mL bottle, I'd much rather go for Buffalo Trace Bourbon which represents far better value at a similar price point. It's much, much, much better neat, and it probably serves better as a mixer as well.
Scotch Dreams Score: 74
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