Red State Bourbon vs. Blue State Bourbon: Which Will You Choose?
Red State Bourbon vs. Blue State Bourbon: Which Will You Choose?
As political season heats up, our friends at Heaven Hill have a question for you: Are you a Blue State or a Red State kind of guy?
The idea is pretty genius: Two Bourbons, one called Blue State and one called Red State, complete with appropriate donkey/elephant imagery. Can the political leanings of the country be determined based on where they spend their whiskey money? You can even vote for your favorite on the whiskey’s website.
I sampled the product and, as Heaven Hill promised, it’s “basic bourbon… just for fun, really.” 80 proof and quite traditional in every way. The wood notes are strong, but the caramel and vanilla flavors have a moderate pronunciation, too. Big, raw wood character returns on the finish. It’s young stuff — alcoholic fumes are quite prevalent — but give it some air and it’s easily drinkable without a mixer or water. That said, I expect the vast majority of either of these whiskeys will go down with Coke, 7-Up, or ginger ale. In other words, don’t go looking for a lot of complexity in this Bourbon: Just an easy-to-swallow, relatively harmless concoction that’s designed to get you tipsy — just like your typical political candidate! I’d give it a B if you pushed me.
So which Bourbon is better? Alas, dear reader, while the packaging is wildly different, inside they are exactly the same. A better statement about politics I can’t imagine. Hats off to you, Heaven Hill.
about $15 each
