Old Elk Blended Straight Bourbon

Color: Medium Copper-Amber Nose: Sweet nose of bubble gum, marshmallow, Chocolate milk mix powder, and the faintest whiff of alcohol. Very nice nose on this one! I hope the palate follows through on it.... Palate: (Drank with an ice cube) First impressions from the first sip are "grain-forward". No chest hug whatsoever. Something akin to "graham cracker" follows... there's something coming through loud and clear, but I'll be damned if I can articulate it. Perhaps it's the corn in the mash? This is not very spicy, nor is it very sweet. I expected the latter, going on the nose. But this is just an oaky, tannic pour. It lacks the "smoky" and the "sweet" that I look for in Bourbon. But it's "good". I want to add... I agree, completely, with the expert review here. Finish: Medium with some lingering spice and grains. Final Thoughts: When you've tried as many Bourbons as I have, you get to a point where you know what you like. But the thing is, you really can't know if you will like one until you try it. And so, sometimes we have no choice but to buy bottles and see where they take us. In the spirit of that, I would say this is a, "Try Before You Buy" bottle. But that's not always possible. Not every local watering hole carries every bottle that you could possibly want to try. And so, we have no choice but to buy in order to try. In this case, I bought a "good" bottle in order to try it. But it doesn't check the boxes that I want checked when it comes to my bourbon. 3.0 stars. Added 5/2/25: After coming off of some high proof Stagg Jr., I poured myself a night cap of this stuff... hit with a "peanut" note that I didn't get on the first few pours. As a result, I am upping my rating to 3.25 stars.

I was able to get this on sale so I figured I’d try it. I let it sit for 10 min in a glencairn glass. The nose is barely there, I mean, it’s super tough to get anything as it’s not complex. I pick up a hint of banana (odd) and cinnamon. The palate is easy as the proof allows there to be barely any burn. Makes me think this could be a great intro bottle for a new bourbon drinker. Taste of oak and cinnamon through and through. The finish is primarily cinnamon with some spice at the end. The after taste is odd as both the cinnamon and spice trail off. Overall, it’s not a bad bottle and I’d be interested in other Old Elk pours. I’ve seen this for $50 and I wouldn’t buy it for that much, way too high. I got this for $33 which was perfect. I’d do up to $38 but anymore than that puts you in ranges for a better bourbon.

I got this on sale at a twin liquors for $35. Figured I try it since I’ve seen it listed around $48-$50. Had this neat and as an old fashioned. Let’s start with neat: Nose was soft with some black pepper and brown sugar. Was “okay”. The palate was sweet and almost a perfect bourbon for a new person to drinking any bourbons. It was strong and also wasn’t too complex. The finish was longer than expected with honey and more brown sugar. Overall, it was “okay. As an old fashioned, I was not impressed. It diluted any flavors or complexity it might have had. Again though, for anyone who is starting out new in bourbon, this is a great starting place as it isn’t strong or powerful to push someone away.

N: Smooth blend of cocoa, vanilla, nuts and oak. Theres Dill and anise here also. Maybe I pick up some maple syrup? I’m not sure. It’s muffled under the cocoa and vanilla: P: This is smooth. It’s Not thick however. It’s watered down. It’s good still but the mash blends the notes well but not allowing prominent notes to show up. It would be nice to have those here. The vanilla and oak are Most prominent to no one’s surprise. F: The chocolate Shows up again and takes the stage. Theres tobacco out of no Where wanting to make a debut. I think it should have shown up earlier. It’s Not prominent. Again Not much is at the forefront which leaves much to be desired. It’s a quick finish.

A complex, Bourbon by Curt Richardson, founder of Old Elk Distillery in Colorado & Master Distiller Greg Metze made with a blend of 3 Straight Bourbons from 3 distilleries in New York, Colorado & Indiana, but they are all based on the same recipe (a mash bill of 51% corn, 34% malted barley & 15% rye). 'The Bourb’ goes through a proprietary proofing process called “Slow Cut” before being bottled at 44% ABV.' It has an aromatic birth with notes of honey, citrus, vanilla, toffee, spice & oak; while a bold life adds notes of corn, caramel, oak, vanilla & fruit; that led to a long & spicy death with notes of rye fruit & vanilla. December 2020 / August 2022

Nose: maple, vanilla cinnamon Palate: maple, vanilla, oak, nutty, saccharine Finish: sweet finish that quickly turns astringent. I did my best to give this whiskey a chance. I made sure to go below the shoulder and let it sit for a few weeks and it did not get any better. I tried to use it in mixed drinks like an old fashioned and it did not go well. My guess is a large portion of the whiskey is young. For the price you can get a lot better with other brands.