O.Z. Tyler Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

“Waiting for spirits to age can be costly. Thanks to this technology we can get liquids from the barrel to market much quicker, which means more product and much less loss to the angel’s share,” he said. “We are not trying to compete with extensively aged whiskies, rather O.Z. Tyler Bourbon Whiskey is a smooth, delicious and affordable option that rivals many of the bourbons being produced today.”

This isn't my first go-around with O.Z. Tyler and its TerrePURE system. I reviewed their Rye back in April. It was a less-than-pleasant experience and there was no doubt in my mind it earned a well-deserved Bust rating. 

The fault with it was TerrePURE is a rapid-aging technique meant to beat Mother Nature. I've tasted a lot of whiskeys that have used a variety of means to speed up the process. You can almost always pick up flaws right away - either there is no flavor, there is too much flavor, there is too much wood, or it is just not good at all. If you want to learn about TerrePURE or O.Z. Tyler, I'll invite you back to my Rye review.

So, here I am again, back with O.Z. Tyler's TerrePURE whiskey, this time with their Bourbon.  This was the very first production whiskey the distillery has made.  I'm approaching this with a fresh mind and an equally fresh palate. After all, that's the whole #DrinkCurious lifestyle. Distilled from a mash of 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley, the distillate is aged for one year and one day in new, charred oak. It is bottled at 90°, and retail is about $22.99.

Appearance:  In my Glencairn glass, O.Z. Tyler Bourbon is almost gold in color. It left a fairly thin rim with fat, wavy legs to drop back to the pool of whiskey.

Nose:  This Bourbon was very fragrant as it sat on my table. It was very corn-heavy. There is also a sour, earthy aroma. I also picked up an industrial quality, not quite paint thinner but whatever it was, it made me cringe. When I inhaled through my lips, it was pure corn. 

Palate:  A blast of ethanol hit my palate as I took my first sip. That was 30 minutes after letting it rest and breathe. The mouthfeel was very thin. Once my palate shock ended, the second sip brought corn and it might as well have been field corn at that. There was nothing good about it. Subsequent attempts to find something other than corn eluded me.

Finish:  Unfortunately, O.Z. Tyler Bourbon gave me a longer finish than I had hoped for. Mind you, it wasn't a long finish, but I wanted it out of my mouth as quickly as possible. There was, again, corn and something industrial about it.

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  Here's the truth.  I don't enjoy writing bad reviews. And, when I do, I try to offer something for the distiller to improve on.  After all, that's part of the purpose of a review. 

"We are not trying to compete with extensively aged whiskies..."

Well, there's no worries there. In this case, there is absolutely nothing positive I can say about O.Z. Tyler TerrePURE Bourbon. This stuff is awful. Between this and the Rye, the Rye was a clear winner and I found it dreadful, too.

I have never said this before in a review. I feel horrible for saying it, but my advice to O.Z. Tyler is to stop distilling, or at least ditch this awful TerrePURE process. If you're going to continue distilling, sit on your product and let Mother Nature do what she does best.  This rapid-aged stuff was vile and I fought through trying to drink this for a review. If you've not figured it out, this one is a Bust, and, in fact, is the worst thing I've tried in 2020. Don't waste your money.

My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Avoid It