Review #: 395
Description: Castle & Key Bourbon Batch #2
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: Castle & Key have finally released their first bourbon since they reopened the distillery. The first batch I believe was exclusive to the distillery, but they have committed to releasing more. While the history excites me, I wasn’t about to drive out there and wait in a line to try. Now when I was going through the local liquor store and they happened to mention they had a bottle of batch 2 available, I figured why not. Retailing for about $50, I didn’t feel too bad taking a chance.
Distillery – Castle & Key
Bottler – Castle & Key
Brand – Castle & Key
Selection – N/A
ABV – 49.5%
Age – 4 Years
Nose – Orange marmalade, graham cracker, cinnamon raisin bread, maraschino cherry, a bit of youthful bitterness/oak but not too distracting
Taste – Orange marmalade, vanilla, thin caramel, milk chocolate
Finish – Another hit of orange then a bit of youth shows up with some corniness, bitter oak, a bit more heat than I would expect
Score: 5
Would I buy a bottle? I wish this was like $10 cheaper. I’m not put off by this, but might stick to bar pours to taste how it develops
Thoughts: This certainly isn’t a bad bourbon, but it still shows some signs of youth. The orange note throughout is quite lovely and I’ve noticed it in their rye so I wonder if it might be a product of their yeast. The nose held it strong, but then the taste was a bit thin and the finish not the greatest. I’m still excited to see what they do moving forward, but right now if you are explicitly looking for flavor, there are better 4 year stuff on the market.