As I was perusing my local Trader Joe's store, I stumbled upon what I assumed was another house brand of whiskey: Kentucky Best Straight Bourbon. It was only $12.99, and while I've had very decent luck with Trader Joe's Scotches, I've not done so well with their American selections. But, again, that low-low price was attractive, and I do have that #RespectTheBottomShelf philosophy. With some added prodding from Mrs. Whiskeyfellow, I took a bottle home.
Come to find out, Kentucky Best Straight Bourbon is not a store brand. It is produced and bottled by Lux Row Distillers. Lux Row does their own distilling, and they've regularly done a marvelous job at sourcing - usually from Heaven Hill (although now that Lux Row is the consumer-facing brand for MGP, that should also change). Well, that brought something else into consideration. I enjoy several of Heaven Hill's dirt-cheap Bourbons (JW Dant, Heaven Hill, Evan Williams, JTS Brown). At this point, I'm pretty excited about what I've got in my hands.
Kentucky Best Straight Bourbon is four years old and bottled at 80°. That's not generally the target proof for me, but I have found some gems at that level. The question, of course, is, does it make the grade? The only way to find out is to #DrinkCurious. Here we go...
Appearance: Poured neat in my Glencairn glass, Kentucky Best presents as a pale amber. That's not overly surprising considering the low proof. It generated a skinny rim and fat droplets that pretty much stuck to the walls before eventually falling into the pool of liquid sunshine.
Nose: Kentucky Best gives the impression of a younger Bourbon. Corn and cinnamon are prevalent. Beneath those two is oak, and underneath that, what can best be described as freshly baked bread. When I inhaled through my mouth, it was sweet cornbread.
Palate: The watery mouthfeel led to an initial taste of dry roasted almonds, at mid-palate, that transformed into oak. But, on the back, it was very sweet with vanilla and honey.
Finish: The palate culminated in a bizarre peppery finish. The pepper snuck up, then slowly built from mild to intense, and just as it became enjoyable, it completely vanished.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Kentucky Best is a strange animal. It starts off very dry, then moves to sweet, then to spicy. It has some nice flavors, but they seem slightly jumbled, confusing the palate. Then, there was that finish. The whole thing left me wanting.
But, let's get real here. This is a $13.00 Bourbon. Finding gems at this level is spotty, and I believe Kentucky Best would make a good mixer. It doesn't, however, stand well on its own when poured neat. This would be far more interesting at a higher proof point - even 86° could have a significant impact. Despite that low price, this one's taking a Bust rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System:
- Bottle = Buy it
- Bar = Try it first
- Bust = Leave it
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs that you do so responsibly.
Oh sure, now everyone knows! It’s fine as the base for a Manhattan!
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