NFL Legend Terry Bradshaw Just Dropped a Great New Hazmat Bourbon
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission.
Are you ready for some ? And also some insanely high-proof bourbon from four-time Super Bowl champion Terry Bradshaw’s whiskey brand that is actually really good? We can’t predict who will come out on top at the Super Bowl this weekend, but we can say that the new Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Bourbon 12-year-old single barrel release is, despite all odds, a truly tasty hazmat whiskey.
Bradshaw’s bourbon brand launched in 2020 as part of Tag Reserve Spirits’ portfolio. The whiskey is produced at Green River Distilling Co., a Kentucky distillery that is owned by Bardstown Bourbon Company (the two now exist under the name Lofted Spirits, which was established as the parent company last spring). The core lineup previously consisted of just one expression, a 5.5-year small-batch bourbon, but now two single-barrel, cask-strength expressions aged for six and 12 years have joined the portfolio.
The youngest of the bunch is made from a mashbill of 70 percent corn, 21 percent rye, and 9 percent malted barley and bottled at 103.8 proof, which is not insignificant. The single barrel expressions will, of course, vary in strength based on the barrel they come from, but according to the brand the 6 year old will range in proof from about 115 to 125. The 12 year old is another story, though. The sample we got to try of TB-12-Year, named as a tribute to Bradshaw’s number 12 jersey during his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, clocks in at a staggering 147 proof. To be clear, that’s 73.5 percent ABV, which means it has soared well past the hazmat threshold of 140 proof (deemed by the FDA to be unsafe to bring onboard an aircraft).
We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: Proof, just like age, is not an indicator of quality in bourbon. On the contrary, the hazmat-level bottles released by some brands and distilleries like Jack Daniel’s and Kings County are sometimes just completely undrinkable. After all, burning out your palate is no fun, and the act of proofing down a whiskey to a particular strength is an art that unlocks flavors that might otherwise be unrecognizable. Of course, there’s an exception to every rule, and this hazmat bourbon is, somehow, fantastic. Yes, the burn is there, but there are also rich notes of maple, brown sugar, milk chocolate, dried cherry, apricot, and vanilla pudding that are pronounced and not overtaken by the heat. Chalk it up to the quality of the new make spirit or careful barrel management—whatever it is, this is a hazmat burner that is worth drinking.
Less than 25 barrels of the 12 year old are being released, so this is highly allocated and the most expensive of the bunch at $250 per bottle (the 6 year old comes in at $65 and the 5.5 at $48). You can purchase a bottle directly from the Bradshaw Bourbon website, or find some expressions available at websites like Total Wine now.
