Bluegrass Distillers is fairly new on the bourbon scene, but they’ve already made a big splash with their Bottled-in-Bond Blue Corn Bourbon.
Founded in 2012 in Lexington, KY, Bluegrass is a craft distillery that tends to focus on unique and interesting offerings. The Bottle-in-Bond Blue Corn is no exception. With a mash bill of 75% corn, 21% wheat, and 4% malted barley, this offering is the first ever Bottle-in-Bond Blue Corn bourbon to be released in Kentucky.
The first bottles were released in September to high praise from consumers, so we were excited to try for ourselves.
Unfortunately for us, it was an extremely disappointing bottle. The distillery, and other reviewers, claim that the bourbon delivers a deep and complex sweetness, balanced out by earthy hints of tobacco and liquorice. But all we got was…alcohol. The bourbon itself was extremely thin with no real flavor profile to note. A notable lack of any heat or bite was also concerning considering this is BIB.
Normally we would chalk a few missed flavor notes up to our individual pallets, but this one is just so unbelievably far off the mark. We’re guessing (and hoping) that we may have drawn a short stick and received a bad bottle. Consistency in production can be a hard thing for a new distillery to juggle and we have our fingers crossed that this bottle is the exception, not the rule.
While we were far from impressed with our first experience with Bluegrass Distillers’ Bottled-in-Bond Blue Corn Bourbon, we’re always rooting for the underdog and willing to try a different bottle, a different day.
STATS: Bluegrass Distillers Blue Corn Bourbon Bottled-in-Bond
- Price for us: A gift for us, but retails for about $60.
- Proof: 100
- Aged: 4.5 Years
- Distillery: Bluegrass Distillers
- Recommendation: Mixer
UPDATE: Since reviewing Bluegrass Distillers’ Bottled-in-Bond Blue Corn Bourbon, we’ve since tried two other products from the distillery. Santa’s Helper, a cinnamon whiskey, was a fun Fireball-like whiskey that is perfect for Apple Ciders or Eggnog. However, the Toasted Oak Bourbon is exceptional, making us further question the overall “offness” of this blue corn bourbon
