One on One with Kentucky Artisan Distillery and Whiskey Row Bourbon Whiskey

Kentucky Artisan Distillers is a small but growing distillery East of Louisville in Crestwood, Kentucky.  Many bourbon heads may know them as the home of Jefferson's Reserve but they also boast a quite tasty offering under the Whiskey Row label.  I had the opportunity to sit down with Jeremy Dever, the Facility Director at Kentucky Artisan to discuss the background, philosophy and future of the spirit.

Four Barrels: First tell us about the bottle.

JD: The label presents a picture of Main Street Louisville around the year 1864.  We are shooting for a nostalgic feel around the times when bourbon started flowing down the Ohio River.

FB: and the story?
JD: Keeping in line with others who are looking back at the heritage of the Kentucky native spirit, the thinking around this bourbon is to show its origins and how it used to be made.  Ships used to travel down the Ohio River and at each stop, additional distillate would be combined with the previous stop.  Eventually, the trip down to Louisiana would allow these whiskeys time to mingle and create a unique product.

FB: Talk about how this bourbon is produced.

JD: The most recent edition of batch 4 is purposely different from each of the previous 3.  This edition is a blend of 3-5 whiskeys sourced from Kentucky distilleries.  Each of those within the blend are 4-7 years old.  This is a 4 grain whiskey - predominantly wheat.

We blend, chill filter and bottle on site in Crestwood.  Each batch is different and is based on a flavor profile sought by owner and Master Blender Steve Thompson (former Brown Foreman Executive).  Each batch is limited to approximately 12-15 barrels and will be differentiated by the color of the bottle neck.  Batch 4 is red.

FB reaction:
The nose is brief but the initial flavor makes up for it.  I found lots of oak, accented by flavors of banana and white chocolate.

This is certainly sipping bourbon.  There is a significant amount of spice on the palate - even though the dominant grain is wheat.  You can taste the age and feel the impact of the wood.
The finish seems about right.  Not at all brief and certainly does not linger on the tongue.
I am certainly glad to see distilleries such as Kentucky Artisan in the Bluegrass.  On a recent trip to the distillery, I was given a tour along with hints about the future of the brand.  They offer multiple samples at the end including a few Jefferson's products.  Definitely worth checking out yourself.

Website:  Kentucky Artisan Distillery

Jeffersons Bourbon 

Jefferson's Reserve Chef Collaboration Review: A Boubron Created with Food and Friends in Mind

Pairing drinks with different types of food has become very popular in today's dinning experiences and private parities.  Wine pairing has best been known to be the leading example of this trend.  But for those who enjoy bourbon, where do you start.  What food, chocolate, or cheese do you decide to share in an evening of sipping and nibbling?  Thanks to the most recent addition and creation from Jefferson's Reserve, we now have a bourbon that was specifically made for that reason.  Please welcome, Jefferson's Chef Collaboration.

Trey Zoeller, the founder and Master Blender of Jefferson's Bourbon started asking this question of pairing with his good friend Chef Edward Lee.  Chef Edward Lee is the main chef of 610 Magnolia, located in Louisville, KY.  To truly understand the complexity of this bourbon, you must get to know one of it's creators.  Chef Edward is a Korean-American who grew up in Brooklyn, trained in NYC kitchens and now resides in Kentucky.  Lee's culinary style and refined palate draws from his Asian background, New York training, and his love for American Southern cuisine.  Lee's statement from his website states, "I never met a bourbon I didn't like".  For the most part, that's a pretty good statement. 

The collaboration of these two good friends that share a passion for bourbon and food took around nine plus months to perfect.  Like the food that Chef Lee creates at 610 and noted in his cook book, both Tray and Lee wanted their bourbon to complement spicier foods and heat-heavy dishes.  What they came up with was a combination of a 5 year old, an 8 year old an a 14 year old rye bourbon at 92 proof.  The rye addition was key or "epiphany" of what made the bourbon pair so well and their goal to complement those Southern, Asian, dishes.

The final product was a smoother rye mix with an array of flavors.    

My review on the first sip:

The Collaboration is a very smooth and enriched flavored bourbon that releases many different flavors throughout your taste buds.  The sweetness starts from the oak and cherry and then the sour mash gently awakes the middle of your taste buds.  The finish is a smooth, not too spiced, ending before you you complete your sip.

I prefer drinking this bourbon "neat", so that one can enjoy the work behind the combination of flavors and smoothness that I believe was intended during it's creation.    

I give this four and half out of five barrels.

Product Description from the horses mouth:

 Ridiculously small batch limited offering is a marriage of very rare barrels of bourbon and rye. We wanted a blend with harmonious flavors, with smoke and spice. It is just as pretty alone in a glass as it is alongside the supper table. This is a singular, custom blend, the result of our collaboration and friendship. Here now, but gone soon. Drink up. - Jefferson's
 

Price point Nation Wide:  $39.99 to $49.99
Size 750ML
46% ABV  92 Proof


Links:

610 Magnolia

Chef Edward Lee

 Jefferson's Bourbon