Considered one of Texas’s Finest Whiskey Distilleries Simply Launched a Bourbon Made From Blue Corn
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A growing number of distilleries are experimenting with different corn varietals to see how they affect the flavor of whiskey. One of them is Still Austin, one of the best distilleries in the state of Texas, which just launched a new Blue Corn Bourbon. We got an early taste, and it’s excellent.
You’ve probably heard of high-rye bourbons before, but this expression happens to be really, really high-rye. The mashbill consists of 26 percent blue corn, 25 percent white corn, five percent malted barley, and a whopping 44 percent rye grain—that’s one spicy whiskey meatball. “As a distiller, I’ve always wanted to push the boundaries with the amount of rye in a bourbon mashbill,” said head distiller John Schrepel in a statement. “With blue corn being such a sweet variety of corn, it was the perfect fit to achieve 44 percent rye in this bourbon blend. This is my personal favorite spirit that we’ve ever produced.” We got to sample the whiskey, and indeed this is a tasty bourbon. The rye spice is evident up front, with notes of black pepper, cinnamon, and dried fruit that lead the way. But those are balanced by the sweetness Schrepel mentioned, with long caramel, vanilla, and molasses notes on the palate.
Other distilleries are trying out different types of corn varietals to see how they affect flavor as well. High Wire Distilling has its Jimmy Red Bourbon Whiskey Bottled in Bond Single Farm Edition, made from 100 percent red corn grown on one farm. And in Brooklyn, Widow Jane has been using heirloom corn varietals to distill some young bourbons, even developing its own Baby Jane corn.
Blue Corn Bourbon is part of Still Austin’s Bottled in Bond Series—as a reminder, that designation means the whiskey is at least four years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distillation season. This winter release is the third in the series, following last summer’s Red Corn Bourbon and this fall’s High Rye Bourbon. One more will follow this in the spring, a straight rye made from 100 percent Texas rye grain. Judging by the quality of the past three releases, that should be a good one. You can find the new Blue Corn Bourbon available to purchase now from the Still Austin website and it will soon be available from websites like Total Wine, where you can find the rest of the lineup to purchase now.
Source: Robb Report
