Review #114 - Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Now produced at Limestone Branch Distillery, the Yellowstone bourbon brand has been around for over 150 years, but ownership of the distilleries that produce it, as well as the brand name, has changed hands a number of times. It's been with the current owners since 2015, when they made a partnership with Luxco, who had owned the brand since the early 1990s.
There's no age statement on the bottle, but on the company's website, you can find that this bourbon is a blend of 4 year old and 7 year old whiskies. It's bottled at 93 proof - while this won't give us a flavor blast like a cask strength whisky, it's a nice step up from the typical 86 proof or 90 proof seen on many entry-level bourbon bottles.
Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 36 (2021)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 31 (2023)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 46.5% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 4 times over 20 months; bottles at 100%, 60%, 40% (blind tasting), and 30% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: This falls on the 'baking spice' side of bourbon - caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, candied nuts, some wildflower honey as well; it really isn't too sweet despite those notes. The oak is somewhat dry and sharp, and it contributes more spice like anise and nutmeg, before fresh leather and a bit of younger spirit influence creep in. It can be a little earthy at times, but overall, it's somewhat reserved, the smells not jumping from the glass. We end with some baked bread, or even a hint of banana bread.
Palate: Decent amount of spice and a lot of oak on the palate, dry and slightly tannic. There are vanilla pods, nuts, and some orange rind, a nice mixture, before black pepper and barrel spice break through and dominate. The mouthfeel is medium - not too oily, and slightly watery in one of the tastings we did. With more time, a light perfume note comes in.
Finish: It's a medium length finish, pleasantly warm and spice, but not too hot. Dry wood, oak tannins, a hint of corn grain, and tangy orange all come together and blend, and it's topped with brown sugar and even white sugar. Relatively pleasant, if a bit simple.
Final Note: We like that this isn't too sweet for a bourbon - a bit more balanced in that respect. That said, it is somewhat simple, and some tastings gave the impression of a 'one note' or 'two note' whisky - mostly oak and spice like pepper and nutmeg. Still, this is fine, just... a little boring. As for value - not bad, considering this is relatively affordable, in the $30 to $35 range.
Our Average Rating: 5.3 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 6.52
