Henry McKenna Single Barrel

There is a shelf behind the counter in our favorite liquor store near home where they keep all of the new, rare, or interesting whiskies. I was in there the other day picking up everclear for a fresh batch of limoncello (post forthcoming on that) and saw a lone bottle of Henry McKenna on the shelf. I googled and decided it was worth bringing home after seeing not only strong positive blogger reviews, but also that it won the best in show whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco Spirits Competition. The whiskey is a 10 year old bottled in bond Kentucky straight bourbon out of Heaven Hill Distillery. The website claims that is the longest aged bottled-in-bond available today. Bottled-in-Bond means it must be bottled at 100 proof, a higher than typical proof. The MSRP is $30, although it was $45 in NYC - honestly not a terrible mark up for the city when you consider the bourbon’s recent awards.

When I read about this bourbon before buying it the reviews told me that this has a very classic bourbon flavor - and it really does. I am struggling to find words other than bourbon-y to describe what it smells like. It smells very sweet, has a good hit of vanilla and caramel, a bit of maybe orange rind, and a nice little alcoholic edge. When you sip it is smooth, you immediately get the charred oak with a beautiful bit of smokey flavor and some rye like spiciness through to a warm sweet finish. The slightest hint of orange rind comes through in the finish for me. Adding ice doesn’t improve the flavor of the whiskey. The ice diminishes the rich sweet and elevates a bitter note from the char that is less balanced. Overall it is a delicious, smooth, and a beautiful sipping whiskey, which is better neat than with ice; however I could see if also making a remarkable old fashioned.