Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon:

Nose: It has a very light scent. Oddly, it is both a bit smokey and has hints of corn. I got a whiff of alcohol on the end. Palate: The first sip had a very quick initial hit of heat, which quickly subsided. Then I tasted caramel and vanilla. The mouthfeel was nice and in the medium range. The second sip makes me think that I just rushed the first one. No quick hit of heat, but it does tingle on the tongue. There’s a good bit of sweetness going on in this one, but there’s also a bit of the smokiness, hinted at in the nose. The finish is quick and warm, with a tad bit of heat. I got a little bit of chocolate and toasted…..something. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I let it sit a while before a third sip and honestly it just kept getting better. It has a very pleasant, classic bourbon taste to it. Comments: I like it. I haven’t had this in a while and had forgotten what it tastes like. It sips nicely and has a touch of complexity to it, although not the same as stuff in a higher price range. I don’t remember what I paid for this, but I think it was less than $30? Here’s the problem….there are several versions of this bourbon, and I had a hard time finding a review for this 90 proof….which leads me to believe that perhaps it isn’t bottled at 90 proof anymore? There are a bunch of reviews for the 93 proof. What I did find out was that J.B. Dant (son of J.W. Dant) teamed up with D.H. Taylor and J. T. Williams to found the Yellowstone Distillery and bottle Yellowstone Bourbon sometime in the 1880’s (which, makes it a Cowboy whiskey!). Glenmore bought the distillery in 1944 and it became one of the biggest selling bourbons in Kentucky in the 1960’s. Diageo bought Glenmore in the early 1990’s and sold off the Yellowstone brand. It was sold to Heaven Hill in 1993 and is now owned by David Sherman. NOW….Yellowstone Select is put out by the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, KY. The 93 proof version they now put out is a combination of 4 year old and 7 year old bourbon. I think this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think it is definitely worth trying to find out. Now that I know that the 90 proof may be a dinosaur, I’ll probably buy the 93 proof version to take a sip…..