Stellum Spirits is a kinda-sorta new-to-market brand. In 2021, it
introduced its line of whiskeys to the world. However, there was a certain
familiarity to it, and that’s because Stellum is part of the Barrell Craft
Spirits portfolio.
Barrell
Craft Spirits is known for sourcing whiskeys, blending them, and bottling them
at cask strength. There’s no such thing as low-proof whiskeys out of the
company. It is located in Louisville, Kentucky, and typically finds whiskeys
from Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky, although there have been some from
Wyoming and Canada. Aside from usually producing excellent whiskeys, I
appreciate the transparency it provides. That transparency allows me to do
detective work to determine who the source distillers are.
Stellum
Spirits is the more affordable brand for the average whiskey drinker. Quality
isn’t lost, and Stellum has received its fair share of accolades, including
from me. While Barrell Craft Spirits has its Gray and Gold Labels
to denote rare offerings, Stellum has its Black Label line.
Today
I’m tasting two of the newest Black Label whiskeys: one is a Bourbon called Equinox
Blend #1, and the other is an American Rye called Fibonacci Blend #1.
These are the inaugural whiskeys in its brand-new Specialty Blends line.
“Stellum Black specialty blends evoke the familiarity of two classic styles of American whiskey, taken one step further through our innovative blending and tasting process. Each limited-release blend has an alternate blending profile that incorporates reserve barrels from our stocks with the original Stellum blend.” – Joe Beatrice, Founder
I must thank Stellum Spirits
for providing me a sample of each whiskey in exchange for a
no-strings-attached, honest review. Now, it is time to #DrinkCurious and taste how they each fare.
Equinox Blend #1 (Bourbon)
This
Bourbon began with Stellum Black Label Bourbon, then the folks at Stellum
layered other Bourbons from “rare” (read: older)
casks, one at a time, until the Vernal Equinox (hence its name). The idea was
to celebrate the change of seasons.
The
core Bourbon blend comes from MGP, George Dickel, and Jim Beam.
Of those, there are three MGP components: two are high rye with 60% corn, 36%
rye, and 4% malted barley, and the other 99% corn and 1% malted barley. The
Beam and Dickel components are undisclosed but older than the MGP. The
additional, older stocks are from Beam and Dickel.
The result is a 117.26° Bourbon,
about eight points higher than the original Stellum Black Label. It is
non-chill filtered and carries no age statement. You’ll pay approximately $99.00,
which is available in 48 of the 50
states.
Appearance: Poured
neat in my Glencairn glass, the Equinox Blend looked like burnt umber. It
created a medium-thin rim that generated heavy tears, which crashed into the
pool.
Nose: A fruity blast of cherry and plum greeted my
nostrils. Nutmeg and toasted oak combined with vanilla and cinnamon. Maple
syrup and orange zest filled my mouth as I inhaled the vapor.
Palate: I encountered a warm, slightly oily texture that
demanded my attention. The first thing I found was cinnamon, apricot, and
nutmeg. The spice started building with clove and was joined by candied orange
peel and vanilla at the middle. Oak
tannins, caramel, and old leather tied things up on the back.
Finish: Medium in duration, the leather, caramel, and
clove notes stuck around. Then, the oak reanimated with a kiss before vanishing
almost as quickly.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I know
the idea was to fold layers of flavors into this whiskey, and Stellum certainly
accomplished that task. The front, middle, and back went from spicy to sweet to
something transitionary. I won’t say that I’ve never come across that before,
but it is an unusual journey.
As I stated in the Palate
notes, that first sip grabs you by the shoulders and stares directly in your
eyes. I wasn’t convinced the Bourbon would get my stamp of approval. But, once
the shock to my palate ended, those additional ones became more and more
enjoyable, and eventually, I couldn’t wait to refill my glass. The price notwithstanding,
Equinox takes my Bottle rating.
Fibonacci Blend #1
(American Rye)
Next
up is the Rye, which is called Fibonacci Blend. I’m not a mathlete, far from
it, but the name refers to the Fibonacci
sequence, a series of numbers that come from the sum of the previous two
numbers. To me, that’s just weird because something has to start first – there is
a reason I write versus engaging in number stuff (although I have been known to
count to ten without using my fingers).
Fibonacci,
unlike Equinox, is a marriage of six different American Rye blends based upon
the Fibonacci sequence. Even stating it, I still have a rough time wrapping my
head around it. Whatever. You’re here to read about this whiskey, not to have a
reject mathematician drone on and on. The source materials are undisclosed, but
you can bet MGP, Dickel, and Beam were involved.
Bottled
at 115.2°, it, too, is non-chill filtered and takes $99.00 to bring one home. Like
the Bourbon, it is available in 48 states around the country.
Appearance: The
liquid appeared as a bright orange-amber in my Glencairn glass. A microthin rim
released heavy, wavy legs.
Nose: Toasted oak, almond, and tobacco notes were
easy to pluck from the air. Less obvious were nutmeg and orange citrus. As I
drew the air through my lips, vanilla took over. Strangely, I found no evidence
of floral or spicy rye in the nosing experience.
Palate: An oil slick hit my tongue, and this is where
the rye content introduced itself with mint. That was joined by honey and vanilla
to complete the front. The middle consisted of cinnamon and orange zest, while
the back featured clove, cocoa, and old, dry oak.
Finish: Once the liquid was gone, the dry oak was pronounced.
I had to wait a couple of minutes before I found flavors of ginger, clove, rye
spice, and cinnamon. The finish kept going like the Energizer Bunny, sucking the
moisture from my mouth.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The inaugural blend of Fibonacci is mysterious. While the Equinox
grew on me, I was more involved in trying to dissect the Rye and spent less
time simply drinking it. You absolutely must enjoy spicy whiskeys as I do to
consider it. Fibonacci is what I might describe as a thinking person’s whiskey. I believe that in and upon itself earns
the admission for a Bottle rating.
Epilogue: If I was
standing at a liquor store looking at both bottles and wondering which to buy, both
are very good, but Equinox would get my money. 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 do so responsibly.
