Cream of Kentucky 16 Year Review
Background
The J.W. Rutledge Distillery website has not been updated in 4 years. I checked. So what happened and what’s with these Cream of Kentucky releases? Here’s a timeline:
2016: A year after retiring from Four Roses, Rutledge announces plans with partners to open a new distillery, crowdfunding starts.
2018: Crowdfunding does not go too well, seemingly neither does regular funding. But don’t worry, they should break ground in 2019! Meanwhile, they revive the Cream of Kentucky brand using sourced barrels.
2020: Covid happens, delaying plans further. Blue Run Spirits launches with Rutledge named “Liquid Director”, a position that I can only assume came with a Scrooge McDuck level of cash.
2021: Blue Run releases their first contract distilled release from Castle & Key, with Rutledge referred to as “Master Distiller” of this release.
2023: Blue Run is acquired by Molson Coors, Jim is going to stay on board. Cream of Kentucky 16 year is released.
If I missed anything anyone else has heard, let me know! But I don’t know what the future of this brand holds. It seems like it’s definitely Jim Rutledge’s side hustle at this point. He clearly sourced some killer barrels to tide him over until he got his distillery project up and running, but it seems doubtful that distillery is going to see the light of day with Rutledge firmly ensconced at Blue Run. We’ll see how things play out, but in the meantime, there’s nothing left to do but review!
Cream of Kentucky: 16 Years Old (16 Years, 116 Proof)
Nose: Stroopwafels- meaning caramel, a dash of cinnamon and a toasted crisp waffle note. There’s also an occasional note of milk chocolate covered cherries. It’s pretty damn inviting.
Palate: Milk chocolate, a little bit of peanut brittle, a nip of cranberry cocktail, and a maple syrup viscosity. Throughout is a solid undercurrent of crushed red pepper spice.
Finish: It coats the palate pretty nicely on the finish, leaving a medicinal cherry cough syrup type texture. Which, I know, sounds unappealing but is a characteristic I love in a whiskey. There’s also a nice wood forward note, showing the age, and a bit of peppercorns.
Great to Excellent (7.5/10)
Overall: It has an excellent balance- front start to finish, it’s a thoughtful, pensive sipper. If I had to gripe just a bit, it’s that I wish the palate was a little punchier. The finish is remarkable, and the nose is decadent and captivating. The palate itself is… pretty nice! Perhaps it’s because I still have dances of 135 proof behemoths still on the tongue.
