Glenns Creek Distillery OCD #5

A little background

Glenns Creek Distilling was founded by David Meier in 2013 and operates on the site of the former Old Crow Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. In only a few short years, the Distillery has not only started producing a variety of hand-crafted spirits, including bourbon, rye, and rum, but it has also undertaken the monumental task of restoring and repurposing the historic site that houses its operations.

The OCD #5 bourbon was one of the first products from the Distillery and is its most popular product to date. The Distillery produces the distillate on-site from a mash bill of 87% corn, 8% rye, and 5% malted barley, along with a proprietary “wild” yeast strain that was captured from the Old Crow Distillery fermenter tank #5 (hence the name, “OCD #5”). The bourbon is triple-distilled in a traditional pot still and then aged for an undisclosed period of time in new charred American white oak barrels. After initial aging, this bourbon is aged in two different types of oak for an additional period of time. OCD #5 is a single barrel bourbon bottled at barrel strength.

(Tasted neat from a Cradle Glass Glass)

Color

Nose

Initially, a pungent ethanol note and a hint of textile rubber dominated the nose once this bourbon was in the glass. However, with some patience and time a more rich profile developed and tapered the ethanol, revealing smoky oak char, toffee, cinnamon, and a strong note of vanilla buttercream.

Palate

On the palate, the alcohol created a fairly strong burn up front (this is a barrel proof bourbon after all), but not so much as to completely overpower the other flavors that developed throughout the sip. The mouthfeel was average and I found a dominant note of burnt sugar, heavy corn, more of that smoky oak char, and a fairly sharp rye spice that developed on the back of the tongue.

Finish

This bourbon has a medium finish with quite a bit of heat lingering from the proof. I also found more rye spice and burnt sugar, along with smoky oak undertones.

In conclusion

The story of Glenns Creek Distilling, particularly as it relates to the development of OCD #5, is fascinating. The fact that the company was able to extract a wild yeast strain from one of the Old Crow Distillery fermenters onsite to create this distillate is such just a great conversation point, and sometimes that is one of the best things about sharing a new whiskey. I also think it’s important to give credit to the Distillery and their philosophy towards producing whiskey. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit Glenns Creek, but my understanding is that they adhere to a very hands-on approach when creating their products and everything is done on site, at least for this single barrel bourbon. Personally, I think Glenns Creek has already been able to accomplish more in a very short period time than many other distilleries that have tried.

Setting aside the backstory, OCD #5 is an enjoyable whiskey, especially considering its presumably young age and the fact that it is bottled at barrel proof. This bourbon is relatively easy drinking, although the ethanol does interfere at times, and I thought the flavor profile was quite pleasant overall. The flavors did feel a little underdeveloped, but I thought they balanced nicely, particularly the sweet and smoky notes that begin on the nose and transition to the palate.

Note: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Glenns Creak Distilling. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review this whiskey.