Union Horse Reserve Bourbon is a craft bourbon from Kansas that’s done using the traditional sour mash process where some of the mash from a distillation is used again in the next distillation. This helps manage the PH levels for fermentation and thus helps produce a more consistent product. The whiskey in the bottle comes from whiskey aged from 2-5 years and carries a 2 year age statement.
One more interesting things to point out about the Union Horse Reserve Bourbon before we dive into the review is that it only uses corn and rye in its mash. I contacted the distillery rep to find out more about what they use to convert starch to sugar without any malted barley and it turns out they use an enzyme instead of any malted barley. Different ingredient, but the process remains the same.
Union Horse Reserve Bourbon Info
Region: Kansas, USA
Distiller: Union Horse Distilling Co.
Mashbill: 80% Corn and 20% rye
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 2 Years
ABV: 46%
Batch: 2
Bottle: 1032
Price: $55*
Union Horse Reserve Bourbon Review
EYE
Butterscotch
NOSE
Maraschino cherries, buttery caramel, nutmeg heavy spice, oak, vanilla, corn and blackberry licorice float out of the glass. This core is bolstered by light notes of candy corn and fruit.
PALATE
Caramel, young oak, cornbread muffins, toasted grains, nuts and spice. A touch of dried dark fruit and a baking soda alkalinity pops up towards the end before diving into the finish.
FINISH
Long notes of butterscotch, toasted grain, spice, vanilla and menthol take their sweet time to fade out.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, medium-full body and a warm round feel to the whole dram.
OVERALL
Union Horse Reserve Bourbon Whiskey has a nose far richer than its 2 years would suggest and a palate to match. It does contain some of that “young oak” craft flavor, it’s well balanced. This is a whiskey that punches above its weight in regards to apparent age and I couldn’t be happier. You could throw this in with the Tom’s Foolery Bonded and Wyoming Whiskey Batch 36 as great examples of craft distilleries putting out awesome whiskey lately.
Tasting things like this are encouraging. They’re a welcome breath of well crafted, whiskey scented, air to the category. It’s exciting to see the craft guys starting to come into their own and put out quality whiskey. I hope this trend continues and in another 2-4 years we have shelves filled with amazing whiskey options from a wide variety of producers. Union Horse Distilling Co. did a great job with their Union Horse Reserve Bourbon and it’s well worth at least a taste.
SCORE: 85/100 (B)
*Disclosure: This sample of Union Horse Reserve Bourbon Whiskey was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
