Kirkland Signature 7 Year Old Bourbon (51.5%, Costco, 2016)

• Category: Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
• Origin: Clermont stated on label – possibly Jim Beam’s Clermont Distillery?
• Bottling: Kirkland / Costco
• ABV: 51.5%
• Cost: ~£25 from Costco

What they say:

Tasting Notes
Kirkland Signature Bourbon has complex aromas of caramel, molasses, citrus and spice with a faint smoky background and a long, rich finish at 103 proof. It is the heritage and craftsmanship of the Kentucky distiller that makes Kirkland Signature Small Batch Bourbon one of the finest bourbons on the market today.

Process
Bourbon has long been an iconic fixture of the Bluegrass state. With its rolling hills, extreme climate and limestone spring water, Kentucky is the ideal location for producing bourbon. It is in this tradition that Kirkland Signature Premium Small Batch Bourbon is crafted. In handcrafting small batch bourbons, every step of the process is under the watchful eye of the master distiller.

It begins with the distiller locally sourcing the grains (corn, rye and malt), combining them with the unique limestone water of the region and cooking the mixture to release the natural sweetness within the grain. This mixture, known in Kentucky as mash, is combined with the secret yeast strain that has been vigilantly passed down from generation to generation. Eventually the fermented mash is double distilled to separate the clear whiskey from the grains.

The final stage of crafting bourbon comes when the clear distilled spirit is entered into barrels. By law, the distilled spirit cannot be entered in oak containers at greater than 125 proof, in addition, the barrel must be stored in brand new charred oak barrels. The barrels are placed in specially designed rack aging houses that allow the extreme Kentucky climate to naturally drive the whiskey through the wood. This aging process is where Bourbon gets all of its color, while developing many of the distinctive flavors. The barrels selected for Kirkland Signature have been aged for 7 years. The unique taste profile comes from a cross section of barrels hand-selected by the master distiller.

Production: 32,000 cases

What I say:

Dram #4 during the WOLS Mystery Whisky tasting, presented blind this was definitely a bourbon, though the bottle shape had many people guessing incorrectly at which brand it may have been!

Colour:

Rich and refractive amber gold (9/20) medium-sized droplet tears left medium legs

Nose:

Hardware store, oiled wood, wood glue, cedar, balsa wood, cinnamon spice and sweet vanilla and honey, golden syrup, some herbs, new wood, new oak furniture, teak oil, orange and peach fruits

Taste:

Light orange marmalade, woody oak, spiced cinnamon, vanilla custard, popcorn, maize, honey nut cornflakes, demerara sugar

Finish:

Medium length, spice sawdust and new oak wood

Overall:

Delicate, new oaky wood was a little disconcerting but a reasonably accomplished bourbon dram in the end with plenty of herbs and spice and a nice vanilla cream.

Score: 79/100

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