Say hello to Sazerac’s dirty little secret: Beards Town bourbon.
Our purchase of Beards Town bourbon was an absolute impulse buy. Having never heard of the bourbon or its distillery, we chose it mainly for its friendly label and even friendlier price tag. (Good enough reasons to purchase just about anything). But when it came time to research, we came up pretty dang short. No website, no links to purchase, no record, no nothing popped up for the bourbon or the Brookstone Distilling Company, who allegedly produces it. And so the plot thickened. But after digging around the public registry for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, things got really interesting.
The Brookstone Distilling Company is actually owned by a Maine-based company that’s registered as, “Boston Brands of Maine, Mr. Boston Brands, LLC.” And Mr. Boston just so happens to be registered to the one and only Sazerac Distillers – the producers of Bowman Brothers, 1792, Benchmark, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, Buffalo Trace, W.L. Weller, Sazerac Rye, E.H. Taylor, and the one and only Pappy Van Winkle. With a lineage like that, we felt like Beards Town was guaranteed to be a delicious drink.
Well… it’s not the first time we’ve been wrong. Beards Town bourbon lures you in with a dainty oak and vanilla aroma, but don’t be fooled – that’s about all you’ll be getting. Incredibly thin, it feels as if this bourbon immediately evaporates off of your tongue, along with any shot at flavor. Oak and vanilla are struggling to make an appearance in the taste, but the smell is definitely more potent. For 90 proof, there’s also a surprising heat to the finish. With no bold flavors to tamper down the heat, the whole thing just becomes dry, bitter, and a bit overwhelming. It’s certainly a far cry from the rest of the Sazerac portfolio. Which really makes you wonder, “What the heck is going on?”
Sazerac has been busted before with a mysterious side project: They’re the distillery partner behind Trader Joe’s bourbon. But a partnership is awfully different from a two degrees of separation secret brand. Poor little Beards Town isn’t even listed on the Sazerac website. It’s hard to say what the deal really is. Is Beards Town an acquired brand that will eventually be phased out? Is it just some weird front to get ditch bourbon that’s not up to snuff? Or has someone just been lazy with the labels?
Whatever the reasoning, we can’t blame Sazerac for keeping the underwhelming Beards Town bourbon under wraps.
STATS: Beards Town Bourbon
- Price for us: $22 for 750 mL
- Proof: 90
- Aged: NAS
- Distillery: Brookstone Distilling Company aka Boston Brands of Maine aka Sazerac
- Recommendation: Mixer, at best
