Review of Brother's Bond Regenerative Grain Bourbon (Batch 002)

 

There was a time, not long ago, when American whiskeys had a brand, a fun (often 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 universally lousy and seemed like nothing more than blatant cash grabs. Yet, in the last couple of years, a handful have impressed the hell out of me, and have proven they deserve the benefit of my doubt.  

 

Brother’s Bond Distilling Company was founded in 2021 by actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley. Now, if you’re a Star Trek geek like me, you’ll recognize Wesley as James T. Kirk in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. He also portrayed 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 shared a genuine interest in whiskey. While they didn’t distill their whiskey, they were involved first-hand in selecting the barrels. 

 

I first reviewed Brother’s Bond in February of 2024. At that time, they were sourcing from MGP with a blend of three different mashbills, which resulted in a four-grain Bourbon. It has since switched to Southern Distilling Company, based in North Carolina, which performs, among other things, contract distilling. Contract distilling differs from sourcing; the latter typically involves purchasing existing barrels, whereas the former enables the creation of custom mashbills.

 

Its newest Bourbon is called Regenerative Grain (Batch 002), which is a straight Bourbon made with an eco-friendly, sustainable vision. The idea behind regenerative grains is to promote soil health and biodiversity, which includes the use of cover crops, crop rotation, and little-to-no tilling. The result is better soil management, reduced erosion, and the retention of more CO2 in the soil, rather than releasing it each time the ground is tilled. This also limits the use of pesticides and increases pollination. It also saves farmers time and money.   

 

Brother’s Bond kept the notion of its four-grain mashbill, but switched up the recipe from 65% corn, 22% rye, and 13% wheat/barley to 73% corn, 10% rye, 8% wheat, and 9% malted barley. That was accomplished by blending a total of 70 barrels, which consisted of either four-year-old wheated or high-rye Bourbons. All of the grains were grown within 20 miles of the distillery.

 

Thankfully, Brother’s Bond has provided me with a sample of the 2025 Regenerative Grain Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. So, let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what this whiskey is all about!

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Southern Distilling Company
• Age: 4 years
• Mashbill: 73% corn, 10% rye, 8% wheat, and 9% malted barley
• Cooperage: new, 53-gallon, #2-3 toasted heavy charred barrels from West Virginia Great Barrel Company
• Alcohol Content: 46% ABV (92°)
• Price per 750mL: $59.99
• Non-Chill Filtered

 

Appearance: I sampled this Bourbon neat in my Glencairn glass. The golden amber whiskey formed a medium rim with fast, thick, crazed tears, yet left behind sticky droplets where the rim was.

 

Nose: Before I could even start exploring the aroma (I was outside snapping the bottle shot), I could smell honey and cornbread. After I returned to my whiskey library and was undisturbed, I resumed sniffing and found lavender, cherries, and almonds. Next, I drew that air through my lips and tasted apples and bananas.

 

Palate: With my first sip, I encountered a Bourbon with a silky, medium body. There was no palate shock. The front of my palate found toffee, vanilla, and leather. The mid-palate included gingerbread, brown sugar, and almonds. Toasted oak, rye spice, and clove were featured on the back of my palate.

 

Finish: Clove, gingerbread, almonds, toasted oak, and rye spice remained. At first, it tricked me into thinking it would be even-keeled. Yet, as time wore on, the warming sensation increased, which really highlighted the gingerbread and clove, giving me a taste of winter. Those two flavors stuck around for what seemed to be forever. In reality, it was 2:39.    

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Were I to take a guess, there’s no way that the wheated and rye Bourbons were a 50/50 split. The larger portion was definitely ryed. The wheated part contributed more to the mouthfeel than anything else; perhaps it helped tame the spices?

 

Regenerative Grain was also a bit of a conundrum; it drank below its stated proof until the middle of the finish, when it really took off and wound up settling at or a few points above its stated proof. That’s not something I normally experience. Additionally, the nose was nothing like the palate; that’s not entirely unusual, but there should be some crossover.

 

Overall, I found Regenerative Grain to be an interesting Bourbon, one that kept my attention with components that deviated from the norm. Is that due to how the grains were grown and harvested? Your guess is as good as mine. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that I enjoyed it; it certainly is not a cash grab. I’m happy to have this in my whiskey library, and that means it takes 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.