Founded
in 2009 by Paul and Mary Beth
(MB) Tomaszewski, MB Roland bills itself as the
state’s first “grain to glass” craft distillery. It sits on a former Amish
dairy farm near Christian
County Grain, where it sources its grains.
“The operation started out with Paul as the one and only full-time distiller in 2009. Since then our team has grown to more than 14 total employees, including MB coming over full-time from her previous career. The one constant with us with both our production process and our location is that we love what we do and strive to make that come through in our products, the distillery, and our onsite events.” – MB Roland Distillery
MB
Roland is part of a mini distillery trail with two others: Casey Jones Distillery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Old Glory Distilling Co in nearby Clarksville, Tennessee.
The
distillery currently enjoys distribution in 15 states and the United Kingdom.
It makes a variety of whiskeys, moonshines, and an agave-based spirit called Kentucky Azul.
Today,
we’ll explore its newest Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon called Old 2nd District. The name is derived from Kentucky’s Pre-Prohibition
distillery taxation system. The state was divided into eight districts; the
second covered Western Kentucky, where MB Roland is located.
But
wait, what’s Bottled-in-Bond mean? Is that a
special kind of container?
As
it turns out, the first consumer protection law ever passed by Congress was the
Bottled In Bond Act of 1897. Before that, rectifiers and retailers were doing
some gross stuff to make their whiskey stocks last longer by adding in things
like prune juice and brown sugar, but they’d also use tobacco spit, turpentine,
shoe polish, and iodine – these additives could make you, at the very least,
sick; sick enough that people died!
The
Act was spearheaded by Edmund
Haynes Taylor of Old Taylor Bourbon
and then-Secretary of the Treasury John G.
Carlisle. It was meant to end those dangerous
practices and guarantee that consumers drank pure whiskey.
To
carry Bottled in Bond on the label, the spirit inside must be distilled from a
single distiller in a single distilling season (January to June or July to
December) and be 100% American-distilled. If the brand is not the distiller,
the bottle must clearly state who it was and where it was bottled. The whiskey
must be packaged at 50% ABV (100°) and can only be proofed with pure water. It
must mature at least four years in a government-bonded warehouse.
Strangely,
until the last few years, Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys were found on the liquor store’s
bottom shelf with a price to match. About a decade ago, there was renewed interest
in Bonded whiskeys, and, well, now, many are aged far longer and priced in triple
digits.
That
was a long segue; let’s return to Old 2nd District Bourbon…
MB
Roland double distills its whiskeys through a 600-gallon stripping pot still
and a 300-gallon spirits pot still. The newmake is aged in new Kentucky oak
barrels charred over white oak fire. While the mashbill isn’t disclosed, it is
a traditional (versus wheated) one.
Old 2nd District is available at the distillery’s gift shop in Pembroke and various retailers. The big question here is, Should you buy one? My no-strings-attached, honest review easily answers that. But first, I must thank MB Roland for providing me with a sample so I can #DrinkCurious.
- Whiskey Type: Bourbon
- Age: 4.5 years
- Mashbill: Kentucky-grown white corn, rye, and malted barley
- Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred Kentucky oak barrels
- Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
- Price per 750mL: $49.99 at the distillery gift shop
- Non-Chill Filtered
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to sip this Bourbon neat. The brilliant orange-amber liquid
created a bold rim with thick, slow, medium-spaced tears.
Nose: Old 2nd
District’s aroma was filled with caramel, cinnamon, apples, pears, apricots,
and charred oak. Inhaling the vapor through my lips exposed me to what I could swear
was apple pie.
Palate: The
Bourbon’s texture was thick and gluey, meaning it stuck to every crevice
in my mouth long after the swallow. Figs, dates, and apricots were easily
discernable on the front. Honey, vanilla, and cinnamon were featured at mid-palate.
The back included clove, barrel char, and toffee.
Finish: When I
said gluey, I meant it. These flavors were stuck in traffic, and I could
feel the remnants inside my cheeks, tongue, and tonsils. The toffee and honey
were sticky. The apricots, figs, cinnamon, and charred oak pulled out chairs
and sat in place. It was steady, without any ramping or troughs. The duration
ran 2:47.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Between
the unique texture, the layers of flavors, and what those flavors were, Old 2nd
District is mind-blowing and easily the best thing I’ve tried out of MB Roland,
and I have a few of its expressions in my whiskey library. Let’s just say this
is one of the better Bourbons I’ve had this year (so far). MB Roland only wants
$49.99 for this? Yes, please! It earns every bit of 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.
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