All Nations Kentucky Straight Bourbon Review

 

What if a whiskey was selected by skilled distillers from various distilleries within a 200-mile swath of the heart of Bourbon Country? That’s the idea behind All Nations Kentucky Straight Bourbon, a “community whiskey” offered by Garrard County Distilling Co. out of Lancaster, Kentucky.

 

“Instead of a single Master Distiller dictating how the Bourbon should be crafted, All Nations engages a panel with decades of experience at such distillers as Jim Beam, Barton, MGP, and Bluegrass to create its whiskey. This democratic approach to whiskey making ensures there is something for everyone to experience and enjoy in All Nations’ harmonious blends.” – Garrard County Distilling Co.

 

Don't feel bad if you’ve never heard of Garrard County Distilling Co.; I didn’t either until the distillery sent me a sample bottle in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Garrard County Distilling Co. was founded in 2024 as the largest independently owned Kentucky distillery. The campus sits on 210 acres, with a 50,000sf distillery and two 20,000sf rickhouses, with 22 more slated between now and 2030, and is the first commercial distillery since the county rescinded being dry in 2023. Staghorn, an Atlanta-based premium spirits company, owns it.

 

All Nations is a blend of three mashbills:

• 75% corn, 12% rye, 13% malted barley
• 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley
• 64% corn, 24% rye, 12% malted barley

 

The component whiskeys were aged between five and seven years in new, #4-charred oak barrels in Clermont, Danville, Owensboro, and Boston, Kentucky. Those were then brought to Garrard County Distilling Co. for blending, utilizing water sourced from the Lancaster Public Spring aquifer, which has been used since 1776!

 

So, where does the name All Nations originate? Funny that you should ask! Of all things, it is named for the posters that hung in bars poking fun at Carrie Nation and her temperance movement that read, All Nations Welcome Except Carrie.

 

All Nations is available in Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and on the brand’s website. It is packaged in 750ml bottles at 48% (96°) with a suggested retail price of $39.99. That’s very affordable, but is it any good? The only way to answer that is to #DrinkCurious, so let’s stop talking and start sipping!

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass, intending to explore it neat. The liquid was dark and coppery, forming a medium rim with slow, gluey droplets.

 

Nose: All Nations possessed an aroma of ripe plums, dark cherries, vanilla, old leather, and cinnamon. When I inhaled the vapor into my mouth, I encountered clove and more leather.

 

Palate: A thick, weighty, creamy texture greeted my tongue and throat. I immediately tasted Chinese black tea, baked apples, and old leather on the front. Midway through, I found dried tobacco leaf, vanilla bean, and Bit O’Honey candy. The back featured charred oak, clove, and black pepper.

 

Finish: The slightly smoky finish included flavors of oak, clove, white pepper, old leather, dry tobacco, and cherries. Its duration ran an impressive 3:46, tossing into the very long venue.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I appreciate the idea of four experienced distillers coming together and selecting something that’s not precisely on-profile for their respective distilleries. The smokiness wasn’t remotely overwhelming; I would call it almost graceful. The mouthfeel was so dense; there were layers of flavors, and that colossal finish should make you ask yourself, This is only $40.00? I’m standing and giving All Nations a rousing round of applause and my Bottle rating. 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.