Brian’s Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Review
written on 02-July-2019
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Henry McKenna Single Barrel (HMSiB) was once easy to find at a nice price point, but that all changed when the bourbon was given accolades as “Best Whiskey” at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. That award followed on the heels of its 2018 award of “Best Single Barrel Bourbon” from the same competition. While I found it to be a good bourbon, I wondered who its competitors were. Still, if you see a bottle on the shelf at a fair price, bring it to the register so you can take it home.
HENRY MCKENNA SINGLE BARREL VITAL STATS:
Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey,
Region: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Barrel Char: #3
Barreled on: 01-April-2009
Barrel entry proof: 125
Barrel: # 6326
Age: 10 years
Bottled-in-Bond
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Price: $34.95 USD in Idaho
https://heavenhilldistillery.com/
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I drank this spirit neat, from a Glencairn glass.
NOSE:
HMSiB greets the nose with a subtle ethanol burn which never really goes away, but does dissipate nicely into an herbal potpourri of faint tobacco and essence of fresh dark cherry nectar. With time, cherry turnovers baking in the oven, faint chocolate cream, and light vanilla custard waft from the Glencairn. On the nose, its sweetness is subtle but complex: vanilla taffy, light brown sugar, maple sugar, woody char and caramel, and dry sawdust.
PALATE:
Upon tasting, there is a strong bite: a burn which is quite hot but not unpleasant. The herbal notes sensed on the nose come through as green vegetables, dark berries and fruits. The juice’s spiciness of black pepper and rye come through and blend nicely with the subtle sweetness of simple syrup and vanilla. HMSiB is earthy with almost a musty char of barrel spice and seasoned oak.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
HMSiB is well-blended and has a silken mouthfeel, even though the bite tickles with an effervescent heat. When turned in the glass, the juice gives a thick coating, then descends slowly into the auburn-polished mahogany colored bowl with long clinging legs.
FINISH:
As the dram is downed, a warm herbal bite remains for a medium-to-long time with a pleasant tickle of earthy rye and barrel spice. The char comes through on the palate, as subtle oak. When the juice is gone, heavy oak sawdust wafts from the empty Glencairn.
MY RATING: 86/100
Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
But it won’t be a must have in the bunker.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 86/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
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