Bully Boy Distilling's Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon Review

 

Founded by brothers Dave and Will Willis in 2010, Bully Boy Distillers was Boston’s first post-Prohibition craft distillery. The brothers are fourth-generation farmers who wanted to open a distillery on the family farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts, but their dad nixed the idea. So, instead of distilling there, the farm is where the grains are sourced.

 

The brothers started making apple cider when they were kids, then graduated to applejack brandy. That’s when they discovered, hidden in the basement vault, a cache of pre-Prohibition spirits their grandfather had squirreled away. Apparently, he had been running a speakeasy! Naturally, that further piqued their interest.

 

When it came time to open their distillery, Dave and Will settled on Bully Boy, which is the namesake of their great-grandfather’s favorite draft horse during the early 1900s. Dave handles the distilling, and Will concentrates on sales. They often work side by side in its 6,000-square-foot distillery.

 

“The one thing we always try to focus on is being authentic to ourselves. We never intend to become a large, generic spirits company, so instead we focus on strengthening the local ties that we have in the New England area. We want to continue making a name for ourselves here, and building trust in the community.” – Bully Boy Distillers

 

Today, we’re going to explore Bully Boy’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. It utilizes a single-malt yeast strain with a mashbill of 61% corn, 24% malted rye, and 15% malted barley. That’s malted rye! Everything is run through its 750-gallon Christian Carl still, then aged in new, medium-toast, #3-charred oak barrels coopered from 12-month-seasoned staves.

 

Now, here’s the wild part – Bully Boy employs two different maturation environments: open-air and climate-controlled. That gives whiskey the best opportunities of both worlds. It has a five-year age statement, and, being a bonded spirit, it is packaged at 50% ABV (100°).

 

Bully Boy’s spirits are available in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. However, they also ship to 36 states plus Washington, DC from their online store.

 

While I very much appreciate Dave and Will’s transparency, is the Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon any good? Thankfully, they were kind enough to provide me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and find out!

 

• Whiskey Type: Bourbon
• Distiller: Bully Boy Distillers
• Age: 5 years
• Mashbill: 61% corn, 24% malted rye, and 15% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon medium toast, #3 charred oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 750mL: $53.99

 

Appearance: I explored this Bourbon neat using my Glencairn glass. Its burnt umber color seemed inviting. A medium-thin rim produced a curtain followed by tightly packed, slow tears.

 

Nose: I sat on my hands for about 15 minutes, preventing me from starting the nosing journey too soon. Once that passed, I brought it beneath my nostrils and inhaled. I smelled corn and a ton of cocoa, along with toasted oak, toffee, and nutmeg. As I took the vapor into my mouth, it left a malty sensation.

 

Palate: I experienced a soft, velvety texture and a palate-shocking mix of allspice and cocoa nibs. With my second sip, I tasted dark chocolate, toffee, and hazelnuts on the front. The middle featured leather, earthy tobacco leaf, and allspice, while the back of my palate encountered boldly toasted oak, powdered cocoa, and dark roast coffee.

 

Finish: The level, dry finish included toasted oak, old leather, powdered cocoa, and dark roast coffee. Coffee was the last to leave the building. The duration ran 1:22, which wasn’t as long as it seemed to me. It absorbed any moisture that I had in my mouth and left the area between my teeth and lips a smidge tingly.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Despite its broadness, folks who drink Bourbon often expect sweeter notes. High rye makes things spicier, wheat enhances sweetness. Malted rye is supposed to make things sweeter, too. The fascinating thing is, there wasn’t much sweetness to Bully Boy’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. It drank far closer to a Rye than a Bourbon. That’s not a bad thing; I love that this one knocks a home run deep into the spice outfield.

 

If you want a sweeter Bourbon, you’ll need to look elsewhere. If you enjoy off-the-beaten-path whiskeys, Bully Boy Bottled-in-Bond is right up your alley. I’m always in that latter category, and my Bottle rating is well-deserved. Great job, brothers Willis! 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.