Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in Apple Brandy Barrels

Copper & Kings Bourbon Finished in Apple Brandy Barrels

Cost: $56 at a local liquor store (South Carolina)

Age: Stated: blend of 5, 10, and 15 year old bourbon, finished for 12 months in apple brandy barrels. (Not stated: blend of 64% 5 yr bourbon, 24% 10 yr bourbon, 12% 15 yr bourbon; source)

Proof: 111

Mash Bill: unstated mash bill, but if my guesses on the mash bills for the blend are right, then the derived mash bill would be 65.52% corn, 28.56% rye, and 5.92% malted barley. Rumor is this blend is:

• 64% 5 yr bourbon from Bardstown Bourbon Company (I’m assuming their origin high rye mash bill because I definitely find some similarities, which is 60% corn, 36% rye, and 4% malted barley)
• 24% 10 yr bourbon from Barton 1792 (known mash bill of 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley)
• 12% 15 yr bourbon from Heaven Hill (which I’m guessing is their 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley mash bill)

Reviewed neat in a glencairn.

Appearance: Light, red brandy color, very oily looking.

Nose: Very fragrant! The first thought that comes to mind from this nose is a late spring orchard. It’s overall sweet, light fruit, and florally, with some definite notes of honey suckle, fresh cut Honeycrisp apples, and slightly burnt caramel. There’s vanilla bean, a pronounced depth of oak, but certainly not dominating by any means, and a mild peppery spice that tingles the nose slightly. There is a slight astringentness. This is rather complex and very nice!

Palate: This is just as viscous and oily as it appears. Old fashioned apple butter, vanilla ice cream sprinkled with cinnamon and a caramel drizzle. That sweetness is balanced out very nicely with a depth of sweet oak and rye spice. I’m also occasionally picking up on a bit of buttery pastry.

Finish: The finish is interesting. Most everything you get on the palate fades away fairly quickly and you’re left with what I would consider the contributions of the 36% 10+ year old bourbon in this blend. While the vanilla and apple fade into the finish at first, the rye spice takes on a minty profile and notes of brown sugar, tannic oak, leather, and even a pop of orange peel take center stage for a moment, with the tannic oak and brown sugar outlasting the rest and drying the palate. There is an astringent feeling that prickles the back of the tongue and throat as well. The finish is on the longer side (and I occasionally get pops of apple even minutes after my last sip).

Rating: 7.9/10

Overall: What a ride! For a distillery that makes brandy, they sure did blend up a delicious bourbon here! This was a really well executed expression to showcase what barrel finishing in Copper & Kings apple brandy barrels can do for anyone’s bourbon. There were very distinct apple notes throughout, but never once did it feel overwhelming. This was overall a lighter bourbon than I expected it to be – it was florally and sweet with terrific balance from classic bourbon notes. Brandon O’Daniel, the head distiller at Copper & Kings, is the one who is responsible for this blend, and I think he did an excellent job with it. As someone who usually isn’t into apple notes in my bourbon, this was excellent! (As far as detractors for me, it was the astringent parts and the minty note at the finish.)

Behind the Bottle: This is not something that I would generally gravitate towards on the shelf because, like I said just a few lines up, I’m not normally into the apple notes. However, a friend of mine at a local store mentioned that he had a few bottles of this and wanted to give me a discount on a bottle to try it out and review it. Well…don’t mind if I do! So here I am…I’m out $56 and I’m writing a review about another whiskey…

Copper & Kings is a bandy distillery in the heart of bourbon country. They unapologetically do not distill whiskey. Without knowing any more than “this is a brandy distillery releasing a bourbon,” I would generally steer clear of something like this. However, I’m glad that friend of mine hooked me up with a discount or I probably would have never tried this out!

After reading through Copper & Kings website to try and get a feel for who they are, I’m definitely going to check out their distillery next time I’m in Louisville, if for nothing else just to mix it up from all the whiskey. They look like a really cool distillery doing some really interesting things (sonic aging with rock n roll, doing all their distilling in pot-stills low and slow, rocking some fantastic mixology on site, etc.)

I really hope Copper & Kings do something like this again in the future OR more distilleries start doing some finished whiskies using Copper & Kings brandy barrels (I know BBC has before). This is a great product for a good price.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I’d rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect