Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Rum Casks

Another instance of an absolute delighted me to see a new Limestone Branch product released, and readily available in stores. Behind the very first finished variant (toasted oak), this is usually the next most obvious finishing choice for most American whiskey distillers, and I'm surprised we didn't see it sooner. Nevertheless, the actual final product here is different enough from most other distilleries, as the base whiskey is fairly young (but not so much that the sweetness of the rum can cut through raw grain flavor), but the finishing time of just a couple months is really quite short indeed, so I wonder how much rum flavor we'll actually experience here. As always, I love the colors used on the label (the deep slate blue for the "rum" banner is gorgeous), and am excited to see it next to my other Yellowstones on the shelf, despite the fact that this is my only Yellowstone bottle I currently have that isn't master-distiller-signed (was too excited at the store to wait). 100 proof seems well centered to be approachable but still high enough to unlock some of the finishing barrel notes, and, no matter what, I hope this is only one of many different finishes we'll continue to see from this distillery. The color is a blend somewhere in the middle of a deep copper, a dark butterscotch, and a general burnished, but is a little darker than expected for a 4 year bourbon, which puts my brain into rum-desire mode. Candied nuts, molasses, and a touch of lemon zest are the first notes on the nose. The ethanol is indeed approachable, and is actually underwhelming at this proof point. There is some young grain, specifically sweet corn that is also noticeable, but repeat smelling really focuses on the above few notes through and through, keeping things simple, but with the mind still focused on that rum finish. The body is light in texture, but spicy and carries well throughout the whole tasting. Initial flavors of molasses and caramel are easy detected, but lighter and more faint than I would want. The base whiskey isn't contributing much here, but there are notes of basic grain mash and citrus zest, as well as a decent rye burn in the gums. The finish switches things over to said rye, as the burn starts to intensify, but not quite dry out the mouth. This particular finished variant is simultaneously spot-on with providing the barrel finished flavors, as well as being quite boring and basic. For a brief moment, the rum really shines through, but you can tell the finish time was far too short, because the base bourbon notes take over, and leave you longing for the rum notes found on the nose. This is an example of things that could have been, which is shocking from this distillery in the end, considering one of their finished variants spent multiple YEARS in a finishing barrel. Nevertheless, it's still quite tasty and can stand well alone, but I wouldn't reach for this to put in cocktails and try to convince anyone that the rum flavor will transfer over.

Nose-bakery sweetness like a powdered donut. Hint of dusty corn in the background Palate- mouthfeel is a bit light. Candy corn, powder sugar, and a hint of musty tobacco. It is sweet and playful. Goes out on an almost cornpop cereal note Finish- short to medium finish, leaves me with a taste of raisin bran Overall- this is a sleeper! It is so "crushable." At 100 proof it is just right. It is sweeter, but balances the rum perfectly. The only flaw may be that the whiskey is noticeably younger.....which isnt such a bad thing. Yellowstone is doing it right here

For me and especially at $45.00 a bottle( I got is on sale for $38.00) it's disappointing. So many other flavorful and complex bourbon's on the market at this price. At first is does come across a sweet brown sugar and vanilla (Rum Cask influence). But it's thin and doesn't hold up. I the end isn't a muddled thin spicy drink. For me, that's not worth $45.00. I'll take WT 101!

Nose of caramel, rum, vanilla, cherry, grape soda, oak, and charcoal. Palate a little hot, with char, caramel, grape, cherry, oak, cake icing. Long spicy finish. Water, in addition to obviously lowering the heat, also brings the fruit out more.

This is not my favoirte, it is very “dark” tasting for a 4 year old bourbon. I definitely get molasses notes from the finish. This will not be a daily sipper of mine but totally worth the pickup if your find it for MSRP.

Sample - Very good, light look, Oakey nose but sweet body (very sweet). No burn. Sweet aftertaste When sampling again - definitely more lip burn but still very good.