Review #308 - Bird Dog Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bird Dog Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is produced by Western Spirits, based in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They produce a few whisky brands, mostly from sourced spirits - Calumet Farm, Sam Houston, and Lexington, to name a few. They also have vodka and rum brands in the portfolio.
The Bird Dog brand first specialized in flavored whiskies, but they now produce this straight bourbon, which is bottled at 42% ABV (84 proof). There's no age listed on the bottle or their website, but since it carries the 'straight' designation with no age statement, we know it's at least 4 years old.
Bird Dog Kentucky Straight Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 22 (2024)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 42% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 100% and 50% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Quite mild, with some standard bourbon flavors: brown sugar, some nondescript oak notes, and there are bits of black and white pepper. Nutmeg adds another baking spice, and later, sweet malty grain arrives. A very soft nose overall.
Palate: The mouthfeel is thin; woody and spicy, with a bit of sweetness from grains, like sugary oats. There are hints of brown sugar or butterscotch, but also an acetone note; at the end, hints of salt and anise.
Finish: Medium-short, soft, and a little more spicy than the palate. Hints of herbal elements, drying oak, white pepper, and anise linger, and there's a bit of vanilla. At times, soft flavors of almond come forward.
Final Note: For the most part, this was a relatively bland whisky. There aren't a lot of defined flavors - quite a generic bourbon profile, and it's a bit too watered down to convey those flavors with any strength. There was a bit of acetone in the palate, but other than that, not a lot of major off-notes - just a bit boring and weak overall.
Value is mediocre - there are several bottles at this price point that bring more interesting flavors and a better mouthfeel. Wild Turkey 101 and Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond are a couple that we would recommend instead.
Our Average Rating: 3.0 / 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: 4.28
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other entry level bourbon reviews:
Review #287 - Jim Beam Black Extra Aged Bourbon
Review #223 - Maker's Mark Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Review #214 - Old Forester 86 Proof Bourbon
Review #205 - Larceny Small Batch Bourbon
Review #173 - 1792 Small Batch
Review #143 - Four Roses Small Batch
