Review: Yellowstone Limited Edition Kentucky Straight Bourbon 2016

By Christopher Null | April 17, 2017 |

Limestone Branch Distillery, based in Lebanon, Kentucky, is one of those craft distillers that is making whiskey (and moonshine) while also marketing sourced spirits, at least for the time being. Yellowstone is the company’s sourced brand, and in addition to some regular bottlings, it produces an annually released bourbon, which differs from year to year. (There’s no information on the sourcing location, but this is a Kentucky bourbon.)

For (late) 2016, Yellowstone LE, as it’s known, is a blend of two rye-recipe bourbons, a 12 year old and a 7 year old. The whiskeys were finished for several months in new, toasted wine barrels. Why? “We used 28 new wine barrels with varying levels of toast – I was interested in how toasting versus charring would contribute to the bourbon,” says Steve Beam, president and distiller of Limestone Branch Distillery.

The 2016 Limited Edition is a pretty little bourbon, reminiscent of any number of rye-heavy bourbons. Soft on the nose despite the 50.5% abv, it offers aromas of light caramel and butterscotch, with a healthy but not overdone dusting of baking spices. The palate is a bit hotter, with a more present woodiness, and a hint of mushroom, green pepper, and pine needles. At center stage is classic vanilla and caramel, some chocolate, and a red berry note that endures well into the finish — maybe a hint of the wine barrel treatment at last.

In the end, this is a perfectly credible and drinkable bourbon, though nothing about it is so remarkable as to make me leap up and throw hundred dollar bills at it. Because, you know, that’s what it costs.

101 proof. 7000 bottles produced.

B+ / $100 / limestonebranch.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]