This particular single barrel of Henry McKenna was picked out by the gregarious folks at K&L and I’ll cut to the chase here… it’s good. Real good; I’m glad I listened to David OG when he said pick it up. From a taste perspective Henry McKenna bourbon is something I haven’t been too familiar with until this year. Yes I know it’s the same mashbill as Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Fighting Cock and more, but as you probably already know when distilleries put out different brands from the same distillery using the same mashbill it’s because they do something a little bit different with it to change the overall profile a bit.
I don’t exactly know what that difference is when it comes to the regular Henry McKenna Bourbon, but here in the single barrel version it’s not all too dissimilar from some of the Evan Williams Single Barrels I’ve had. This one definitely has a richer wood driven character to it than any of the EWSBs I’ve had, but instead of me blabbing on about the ghosts of whiskey past let’s get on with the review of this “ghost” of whiskey present shall we?
Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Review
Distiller: Heaven Hill
Age: 10 years
ABV: 50%
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye & 12% barley
Price: $27
Barrel: 1115
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
A nice wood driven nose peppered with notes of vanilla, caramel, rye spice, cinnamon, clove, butterscotch and some light dark fruit. Add a splash of H2O and the butterscotch gets more prominent while the spice dying down a bit and a hint of red licorice creeps in.
PALATE
Like the nose it’s wood driven with notes of dark fruit, vanilla, rye spice, red licorice, butterscotch and cardamom hitching a ride. A little water brings out more of the red licorice and some corn along with a touch more spice and a thin wispy note of dill.
FINISH
Long, spicy and woody with some notes of raw grains, red licorice, vanilla and a feint bit of dill showing up along the way.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance complimented by a thick round body and a slick viscous texture.
OVERALL
Love it. This is some fantastic bourbon right here. I love the heavy wood driven character that invades the senses and the way it’s broken up by jabs of dark sweet notes. Thick, rich and spicy this is the kind of bourbon I want to be drinking every day. I just can’t say enough about how much I love this whiskey.
SCORE: 90/100
