The first era of the Lexington Brewing Co. began in the 1890s. It came to a halt during Prohibition, changing ownership several times in the decades that followed. By the time Pearse Lyons and his son, Mark, explored the brewery in 1999, it was a shell of what it had once been. Once he purchased the building Two copper pot stills that were commissioned from Scotland arrived at Lexington Brewing Co. in 2008. As autumn began to settle in late September 2012, the ribbon was cut on Town Branch Distillery, located across from Lexington Brewing Co., and the doors opened on the first new distillery to be built in Lexington, Kentucky, in more than 100 years. Those gleaming copper pot stills now stand in celebration of timeless traditions and bold imaginations.
Town Branch True Cask Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a cask strength blend of two Kentucky mash bills: their signature high malt mash bill, blended with a more traditional high corn malt bill. It embodies the art of blending uncut, straight from the barrel whiskey.
The high malt mash bill gives the whiskey a complex flavor profile with notes of caramel, oak, brown sugar, and spice. The high corn mash bill adds a sweetness and smoothness to the whiskey. The blend is then aged for a minimum of 3.5 years in new American oak barrels.
Bourbon Review:Town Branch True Cask Batch #004
ABV: 56.75% (113.4 Proof)
Age: 3.5 Years
Color: Amber
Mash Bill #1: 72% Corn, 15% Barley, 13% Rye (50%)
Mash Bill #2: Higher Corn, Not Disclosed (50%)
Distillery: Lexington Distilling Co.
Location: Lexington, KY (USA)
The Nose: Notes of vanilla and cherry waft upward from the glass with hints of oak and honey. It is surprisingly sweet given the 113.4 proof designation.
The Taste: It comes in hotter than the ABV would suggest and is reminiscent of cask strength Irish whiskey. There is an abundance of black pepper on the front end before giving way to a citrus like sweetness, honey and oak. The finish is long and earthy.
The Pairing: We enjoyed our pour with the new Davidoff Nicaragua 10th Year Anniversary. The tobaccos in this Limited Edition have been aged for an incredible total of 45 years. One of the 9 year aged filler leaves spent time inside a rum cask giving the cigar a subtle sweetness.
Our pairing never affects our final score but in the case of this pairing the results would be negligible. It doesn’t change things up other than a fleeting gingerbread and brown sugar added to the bourbon.
The Conclusion: Town Brach Cask Strength lacks the depth of some other cask or barrel strength offerings and as a result it doesn’t do enough to stand out. It’s enjoyable but in a crowded price point it falls short. I introduced this to a friend that drinks Irish whiskey almost exclusively and she found it more enjoyable than I. It would be interested to try a single barrel, cask strength offering from the company and hope to come across it one day.
Score: 86
Price: $44.99 (750 ml in New Hampshire)
