Ben Holladay: Bourbon Lore 18 Barrel Blend Review
Background
18 barrels, 2982 bottles. The public sale of this release apparently sold out in 59 seconds. Some days I think the bourbon hype train is slowing down, and others a fairly indie producer sells out a nearly 3,000 bottle collaboration essentially instantaneously. But, credit where credit is due, Ben Holladay put together quite the alluring process for this release. They tapped into some of their oldest stocks, and then had a notable crew of bourbon aficionados handle the blending. Mason Walker, Clay Risen, Emerson Shotwell, David Jennings, and Ryan Alves, in collaboration with Holladay Master Distiller Kyle Merklein.
I’m not super familiar with the entirety of that crew, but Dave Jennings is a whiskey writer legend and Clay Risen’s book Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey has been cited in more of my reviews than I can count. So, I decided to dip my toe in the water, and that’s a fairly apt metaphor as I didn’t even buy this whole bottle but rather split it with a few friends. That’s the short story on the process, now to judge the end result.
Ben Holladay: Bourbon Lore 18 Barrel Blend (7 Years, 118.6 Proof)
Nose: Pepper jelly… honestly a bit of a jammy varitery, strawberry as well. Hints of maple syrup and toasted oak. It’s fairly sweet but the occasional spice note, particularly that black pepper, persists.
Palate: More pepper jelly, cinnamon sticks, hints of fresh red berries. It’s a little spicy, but is balanced nicely by a gentle sweetness. It’s a bit thin honestly, not leaving a huge impression.
Finish: Wood and spice forward, with again a steady drumbeat of pepper and berry notes again. It leaves a cut fresh fruit and peppery impression but then dissipates.
Very Good (6/10)
Overall: I wish the palate wasn’t quite as thin, and the finish a little longer. It’s pretty good… but I honestly don’t understand why this went absolutely bananas. A good story around it’s release, I suppose. The balance of fruit and spice notes are quite nice, and the whiskey delivers a lovely consistency from start to finish. If you were stressed about being a minute and ten seconds late to this minute sell out, absolve yourself of that FOMO and keep an eye out for a pour to try at a bar or via a friend.
