2025 noticed the arrival of a brand new bourbon model, Whiskey Row — named after the a part of Louisville’s Foremost Avenue which was a hub for bourbon delivery till Prohibition. (In the present day, it’s turn out to be floor zero for whiskey manufacturers from all over (not simply Kentucky) to arrange tasting rooms.)
Whiskey Row Bourbon doesn’t simply pay homage to pre-Prohibition spirits, it additionally makes an attempt to recreate the period’s method to mixing. Right here’s some backstory:
Created at [and presumably distilled at] Kentucky Artisan Distillery (KAD) in Crestwood, Kentucky, Whiskey Row Bourbon displays the advanced taste profiles of pre-Prohibition whiskey, a time of higher experimentation in growing older strategies. Late distiller and Bourbon Corridor of Fame inductee Steve Thompson conceived of Whiskey Row Bourbon as a return to pre-Prohibition mixing strategies. As a nod to Thompson’s imaginative and prescient and legacy, Avalon Spirits will embrace the craftsmanship, variation, and experimental growing older strategies that outlined the early days of bourbon, beginning with the Triple Wooden, Bottled in Bond, and Cask Power expressions.
The core expression, Triple Wooden, is matured for a minimum of 4 years with a particular ending course of in Cognac and Pedro Ximénez (PX) sherry casks for enhanced complexity and bottled at KAD. Whiskey Row Bourbon’s Bottled in Bond expression follows a rigorous six-marker course of to make sure high quality, whereas the Cask Power expression is left unfinished to accentuate daring flavors.
Whiskey Row Bourbon challenges the notion that premium bourbon should come from Kentucky. Whereas the model celebrates the time-honored Kentucky traditions of bourbon-making, it acknowledges that the vacation spot’s prominence stems not solely from premium grain or water but additionally from the historic path to market that whiskies traveled down the Ohio River, making Louisville a vacation spot for mixing. Whiskey Row Bourbon’s upcoming regional releases will showcase destination-inspired maturation strategies and mixing profiles from lesser-known bourbon areas.
Whiskey Row despatched us two of its three expressions to take a look at, so let’s dive in to every.
Whiskey Row Triple Wooden Bourbon Evaluation
As famous above: 4 years previous, completed in Cognac and PX sherry casks. A little bit undercooked on the nostril, the whiskey is heavy with notes of ethanol and contemporary corn — then Sugar Pops cereal. It’s not overtly woody nevertheless it does come throughout as tannic and, finally, fairly peppery.
The palate sees fairly a shift because it leans into the ending barrels closely. You’ll be able to instantly see the idea right here because the wine and brandy barrels do job at masking the whiskey’s youth, a minimum of to a level. Whereas some charry oak notes are unmissable, fruit and wine notes come on sturdy in brief order. Cherry, plum, and currants dominate — then oxidized wine notes observe, giving the whiskey a somewhat natural high quality because it develops. A lot of oak roars again on the end, which winds up feeling a bit bitter and biting because it shuts the door.
There are flashes of pleasure on this whiskey, nevertheless it’s simply not totally cooked. I’d like to see this ending method utilized to extra mature inventory.
90 proof. B- / $50
Whiskey Row Cask Power Bourbon Evaluation
Unfinished, no age assertion. It’s aggressively grain-forward on the nostril, with tons of oak to again it up — initially coming throughout as fairly off-putting. Aromatically, it’s a whiskey that by no means quits, punching laborious with notes of tobacco, scorched grain, and ultra-char — with no clear means by way of all of it. The palate fortuitously has extra to current, and the preliminary rush is heavy with (overwhelming) notes of candy black tea. The tea theme is finally counterbalanced by oak tannins and spice, particularly cloves, adopted by cracked pepper, however notes of brown sugar-sweetened solar tea are by no means removed from view. It’s fairly a chaotic expertise reconciling the burly nostril with the extra effusive physique, however I warmed as much as it over time.
111 proof. B- / $71
Whiskey Row Triple Wooden Bourbon
USD50
Visited 18 occasions, 18 go to(s) right now
