Wathen's Single Barrel Bourbon

🦁 Wathen’s Single Barrel KSBW by Charles Medley Distillery at 94.0 Proof 🛢️ 🎬🥃 Welcome BACK, my beautiful bourbon bandits, to another pour of Belmont Bjorn’s Bourbon Banter (aka BBBB, aka the best place to let your whiskey curiosity run wild)! 🥃🎬 First off, y’all have been absolutely amazing. I’ve been getting messages in the DMs, seeing those sweet comments roll in, and watching the love spread as y’all hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE this little bourbon corner of the internet. From the bottom of my Glencairn—THANK YOU. 💛 ⸻ 🍋🔥 Today’s Sip: Wathen’s Single Barrel Bourbon 🔍 Barrel Pick by: Southern Spirits 🧁 Nickname: “Creamy Lemon Scone” (Yes, it tastes as good as it sounds. No, it doesn’t come with brunch.) This is a single barrel expression from Charles Medley Distillery, a name steeped in history and mystery, and this particular bottle is something special. ⸻ 📋 The Nerdy Bits (Because We Love ’Em):    •   Mashbill (which I forgot to mention in the video—hey, I’m human 🤷‍♂️):       •   77% Corn       •   13% Malted Barley       •   10% Rye A softer, sweeter profile with just enough rye zip to keep things interesting.    •   No Age Statement on the bottle (a.k.a. NAS for my bourbon geeks), but judging by the color and flavor, I’d personally peg it in the 4–6 year range. Some whisper it could be 8 or 9 years, but unless it time-traveled in the barrel… I remain a skeptic.    •   Source of the juice? Officially undisclosed. But if I were a betting man (and I sometimes am), I’d say it’s from Green River Distilling, now under the umbrella of the Bardstown Bourbon Company. I go deeper into this detective work in the video—get your magnifying glass and tune in. 🕵️‍♂️🥃 ⸻ 📚 Fun Fact Time: Did you know the Wathen family legacy dates all the way back to 1645? That’s pre-Declaration of Independence, pre-Kentucky statehood, pre-everything. And their distilling claims? Allegedly, the first bourbon in Kentucky was produced by this lineage way back in 1788—which means they beat the good Reverend Elijah Craig to the punch by one full year. So yes—today’s pour comes with generational gravitas, a dash of legend, and a whole lot of flavor. ⸻ 🎥 So go check out the full review! I sip, swirl, speculate, and dive into the buttery-citrus goodness of “Creamy Lemon Scone”—and I want to know what YOU think. Would you buy it? Have you tried another Wathen’s barrel pick you loved (or loathed)? 👉 Drop a comment 👉 Smash that SUBSCRIBE button if you haven’t already 👉 And SHARE this with your bourbon crew, book club, or that uncle who thinks he invented whiskey (we all have one) I’m aiming to post ~5 reviews a week (pray for my liver but not my enthusiasm), and I’d love to hear any requests. Want to see a head-to-head? A budget bottle shootout? My thoughts on a dusty find? Let me know! Until next time: Sip slow, stay curious, and may your whiskey always be older than your passwords. Cheers and God bless! 🥃🙏 Belmont Björn - BBBB - 🦁 Wathen’s Single Barrel KSBW by Charles Medley Distillery at 94.0 Proof 🛢️ https://youtu.be/DiyEUzPWSrU

Nose: Light with a slight some medicine, may be a hint if clover in there. Pallet: Overall smooth with some bitter wild flower notes and overall light flavor. Finish: End quickly with with a lingering of cinnamon and tingle. This is a decent bottle, for a $40 single barrel it meets expectations on price but it won’t become something that I have to have in my collection. I tend to enjoy something more sweet but in some cases others may enjoying this if your pallet enjoys something more tart. 2nd and 3rd impressions are much more enjoyable than the first.

While the nose is admirable, the finish is a delayed hellfire inferno that starts in the stomach and quickly travels up the esophagus. Any joy in tasting (there is some nice taste) is quickly overruled by the feeling of drinking light napalm. On a positive note, I used it for cooking and it was phenomenal with both chicken and beef. I did not take the opportunity to use it as a mixer or try it on the rocks. I find that ice sometimes solves the burn that some bourbons cause on the finish.

After a few pours I really wanted to like this single barrel pick. It is decent, but it doesn’t seem to stand out amongst all the other bourbons that are out there. The nose smells of light caramel and oak. The initial taste is some light orange and caramel and light oak, with a little burn. The middle taste and finish carries the same flavor notes but the burn seems to linger a little too long at the end.

Had a quick glass with my neighbor last night on the first 80 degree day. The first time I had this it was just okay and a bit let down. The glass last night was surprisingly pleasant and will have to do a full tasting in the future. Originally I would had said pass but now it’s much better after it had time to breathe.

Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, sugary sweet, Palate: caramel, baking spice, light barrel undertones, finishing with peanut butter Overall: This might be one of my favorite evey day sippers. It fits my palate well as I have a sweet tooth. I would like to see more complexity, but I will always keep this bottle on my shelf.