The
Holladay brothers, Ben and David, founded a distillery in 1856 at a limestone well
discovered by Lewis and Clark. It was named Blue Springs Distillery.
It changed hands several times - first to George Shawhan, whose family named
it the Shawhan Distillery in 1900. It changed in 1936 and was called the Old Weston Distillery before becoming McCormick Distilling Company
in 1942. In 1993, the business was purchased by Ed Pechar and Mike Griesser.
McCormick
Distilling is the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River that still
operates at its original location. During Prohibition, the distillery was also
one of the few allowed to remain open to bottle medicinal whiskey. Now, the Holladay Distillery operates as part of McCormick Distilling.
This
past June, I had an opportunity to review Holladay Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof Bourbon. Today, I’m exploring Ben Holladay Missouri Straight Rickhouse Proof Bourbon. The first is a wheated Bourbon mash, while the latter
is a traditional mash of corn, rye, and malted barley. Rickhouse Proof
refers to the Bourbon’s barrel proof when dumped.
One
of the things I respect about Holladay is its transparency. The Rickhouse Proof
heralds from Warehouse C, which is a seven-floor rickhouse, and is a blend of six-year-old
new, charred oak barrels from the following floors:
- Floor 7 – 0%
- Floor 6 – 0%
- Floor 5 – 5%
- Floor 4 – 22%
- Floor 3 – 58%
- Floor 2 – 15%
- Floor 1 – 0%
All
of that boils down to a 60.05% ABV (120.1°), and a 750ml package has a
suggested price of $74.99. It was bottled on August 18, 2023.
Does
Holladay Distillery have another winner? We’ll #DrinkCurious to find out after
I thank them for providing me with a sample of this Bourbon in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review.
Appearance: I
poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass and sipped it neat. Inside, the
whiskey was the color of rust. The rim that formed was medium-thick and
released wide, crooked tears.
Nose: The
aroma comprised cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and cherries. When I inhaled
through my lips, I found nutmeg and roasted almonds.
Palate: The
first sip was airy and had a bit of heat. The airiness remained on subsequent
sips, yet the heat wholly disappeared. I encountered cinnamon, vanilla, and
almonds on the front of my palate. The middle featured cherries, caramel, and corn.
The back had flavors of black pepper, charred oak, and rye spice.
Finish: The
finish is where the cinnamon, rye, and black pepper notes took center stage. Beneath
those were cherries, thick caramel, roasted almonds, and charred oak. The long
duration kept my tongue and throat warm.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: At a
smidge over 120°, you’d expect it to affect your palate and head. Nope! While
it is a spicy Bourbon for sure, it is neither hot nor do you “feel” the alcohol
content. That throws this whiskey into my dangerous category. Drink it
up and then try to stand. That’s when the proof becomes evident; you’re not
driving yourself home anytime soon.
The great thing about it is
you can taste what’s inside the glass versus leaving your hard and soft palates
sizzling. And those flavors are bold and beautiful. Holladay’s Rickhouse Proof
Bourbon is something to savor slowly. This is one of my favorite Bourbons this
year, and while I loved the Soft Red Wheat Rickhouse Proof, this version
eclipses that. Don’t miss out on this if you see it on the shelf. Grab yourself
a Bottle. You won’t be disappointed. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
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