Chicken Cock – Beer Barrel Select
- Distiller: Bardstown Bourbon Company
- Spirit: Beer Barrel Finished Bourbon
- Aged: 10 – 11.5 year blend
- Proof: 90
- Purchase Price: $94.99
From the Distiller: “In the Summer of 2018, we bottled twelve barrels of our award-winning 10 Year Old Double Barrel Bourbon. We then gave six of those barrels to our friends at Goodwood Brewing in Louisville to finish their delicious Walnut Brown Ale. When they were done, we took those barrels back and filled them with a blend of our best, hand selected Kentucky Bourbon aged up to 11.5 years. The result is our first Beer Barrel Select, born and bottled in the Bluegrass State.”
About The Distillery: “Originally established in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, the original Chicken Cock American Whiskey rose in popularity during the 19th century and was infamously a staple of Prohibition-era speakeasies, including the Cotton Club, where it would be smuggled inside in nondescript tin cans. Chicken Cock disappeared from the market in the 1950’s after the original distillery burned down, but we’ve now brought The Famous Old Brandback, combining 160 years of history with a touch of 21st century.”
Review & Score
Nose: The nose has nice scents of caramel and sweet corn mash, but then it fades into that cooking beer mash. It’s almost like smelling a bourbon right before you walk into a local brewery while they’re in production. It’s a very unique mix of scents that is definitely unique and captures that “beer barrel” essence. The taste
Palate: Sweet wheat grain and corn grain spirit up front with lighter notes of vanilla, butterscotch, and brown ale yeast.
Body: It is definitely has a distinctive heat to it amplified by the true-to-nature corn mash bourbon notes, but it’s definitely within expected heat and flavor for a 90 proof.
Finish: A light but long finish where the brown ale yeast and barrel char shine, giving it a savory finish.
Conclusion: This is one of those whiskies that’s hard to have a “definitive” conclusion on. I very much enjoyed it, but have received a mixed bag from others. However, it’s mostly people who aren’t beer drinkers who are iffy on the pour. If you love craft beer, this limited release is probably up your alley. It is a very unique product that isn’t an all-purpose bourbon, but definitely hits a good note with a craft beer and bourbon loving crossover audience that is bold on both fronts.
