Kinnard and Drake Straight Bourbon

A little background

Built 1877, the Boone County Jail in Lebanon, Indiana has been restructured and is now the home of Boone County Jail Distillery. The first jail was built in 1833, however, the jail was moved in 1877 to its permanent home on the corner of Washington & Meridian Street. The Boone County Jail served faithfully until 1992. Kinnard and Drake Straight Bourbon is an 11 barrel blend of 5-year 36% high rye bourbon that was sourced from MGP Ingredients in Lawrenceburg, IN. Kinnard and Drake is bottled at 92 Proof and has a retail price of around $35 USD.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Light Gold

Nose

Wafts of caramel, lime citrus, spearmint, vanilla custard, Grand Marnier, nutmeg, and popcorn.

Palate

Corn, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, confectionary sugar, and bitter orange rind.

Finish

A pleasantly long and sweet finish with notes of confectionary sugar, caramel, dried raisins, cherries, and cinnamon.

In closing

Kinnard and Drake Straight Bourbon isn’t the most complex bourbon you’ll come across, but it does have a wonderful mouthfeel and a fountain of delicious flavors on the palate. In my opinion, it drinks hotter than 92 Proof and has an overall dominating sweetness that’s hard to ignore. However, the flavor profile is quite enjoyable and I find it very pleasant to sip on. Despite the low bottling proof, this whiskey has maintained a very nice mouthfeel and a relatively long finish. At $35, this one is a no brainer, go grab a bottle or two, you won’t be disappointed.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Kinnard and Drake. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.