There
was a time, not long ago, when American whiskeys had a brand, fun (many times
invented) backstory, and what was inside the bottle. Nowadays, it is becoming
commonplace for celebrities to get involved in the entire process.
When
celebrity whiskeys started popping up everywhere, they were lousy for the most
part. I considered them nothing more than cash grabs. Yet, in the last year or
so, a handful have impressed the hell out of me. As such, my knee-jerk reaction
to roll my eyes every time a celebrity rolled out a whiskey doesn’t happen
anymore. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt.
Brother’s
Bond Distilling Company was founded in 2021
by actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Not being one to keep up with pop culture, I had
to Google them. Shame on me for not recognizing Wesley, who plays James T. Kirk
on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. However, he is best known for portraying
Stefan Salvatore in The Vampire Diaries. Ian played Damon Salvatore on
that show, and the duo became close friends.
“Brother’s Bond is a story of time and quality; two things we all cherish in life. We feel each moment of our friendship has led us here, to create this exceptional Bourbon that we are thrilled to share with you.” – Brother’s Bond Distilling Company
Apparently, Wesley and Somerhalder have a genuine interest in whiskey. While they didn’t distill their whiskey, they were involved first-hand in selecting the barrels.
Distilling
occurred in Indiana (meaning MGP) from three different mashbills; the result is a four-grain
Bourbon. Brothers Bond utilizes #4 charred oak staves and #2 charred oak heads
to age its whiskeys.
Today,
we’ll explore two of Brother’s Bond Bourbons. One is its flagship Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and the second is a limited-edition Original Cask Strength Bourbon. There is also a Rye offered; however, when
choosing which whiskeys I wanted to review, I considered that a head-to-head
tasting of the two Bourbons would be more helpful.
We’ll
#DrinkCurious and start with the flagship. However, before I do, I must thank
Brother’s Bond for providing these samples in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review.
Both
were sipped neat from clean Glencairn glasses.
Straight
Bourbon Whiskey
- Age: 4 years
- Mashbill: 65% corn, 22% rye, 13% undisclosed wheat/barley content
- ABV / Proof: 40% / 80°
- Price: $44 for a 750ml package
Appearance: This
Bourbon presented as a light golden liquid. The bold rim formed even thicker legs.
Nose: When I
brought the glass to my nose, I smelled corn, cinnamon, bananas, and rose
petals. Drawing that air through my lips offered a note of maple syrup.
Palate: This whiskey’s
texture was light and a tad creamy. At the front, I found corn, caramel, and
vanilla. My mid-palate encountered apples and raw almonds. The back hinted at allspice
and toasted oak.
Finish: There
were hints of vanilla, corn, and muted oak tannins. It was medium in duration.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I found
Brother’s Bond Bourbon to be proofed too low. It was challenging to pull flavors;
the nose was the best part of this experience. It isn’t a bad whiskey by any
means; it just gets lost in itself. If someone was timid about Bourbon, I would
consider this flagship expression because nothing could be taken as offensive. For
$40-something, I’m rating this one a Bar.
◊◊◊◊◊
Original
Cask Strength Bourbon
- Age: 4 years
- Mashbill: 65% corn, 22% rye, 13% undisclosed wheat/barley content
- Uncut and Unfiltered
- ABV / Proof: 57.04% / 114.08°
- Price: $80.00 for a 750ml package
Appearance: This
version was the color of caramel. The medium rim created slim, fast tears.
Nose: The
aroma included banana pudding, butterscotch, rose petals, and toasted oak. I
tasted bananas when I pulled the air through my lips.
Palate: The
cask strength Bourbon’s mouthfeel was airy and provided the front of my palate with
a big blast of honey, then cinnamon and caramel. Midway through, there was cinnamon
spice, strawberries, and vanilla. The back tasted of black pepper, clove, and nougat.
Finish: The
Original Cask Strength Bourbon had one of those Energizer Bunny finishes. Brother’s
Bourbon suggests it is two minutes long. When a brand makes a specific claim, I
like to verify it, so I set my timer.
I was pretty generous, but at the same time, duration can be very subjective. Meanwhile, caramel, honey, cinnamon, strawberries, and nougat remained.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I
really liked the Original Cask Strength Bourbon. It is an easy sipper, one
without “burn” despite the higher proof. Flavors were easy to pluck. That
finish was lovely. Is it a bit on the pricey side? Yes. However, I believe there’s
still enough value to justify the investment. I’m rating this one a Bottle.
It is worth picking up. 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.
Really informative, thanks
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