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Located at the site of the historic Old Taylor distillery, Castle and Key is known for being one of the most lovely production facilities in the industry. The distillery gets its modern name from its distinctive castellated look, the outcome of the style and marketing savvy of one Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. (yes that one of yellow tube Buffalo Trace fame) and key shaped springhouse water source. In coming up for a name for my blog, I did not realize that there was already a notable "Castle &" in whiskey. Unfortunately, the property went through a period of long decline after prohibition, becoming overgrown and neglected. Reopening the distillery in 2018 required a $30+ million, four-year, restoration project to reclaim the site from the Kentucky forest, but the results are incredible. Their Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey joins a lineup which features a wheat bourbon, rye whiskey, gin, vodka, and numerous limited releases.
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| Credit: castleandkey.com |
🛒Sourced: $33.99 Costco Perimeter, GA - 750ml. A huge discount from the previous SRP which was around $50 for their four-year offering. I think we'll continue to see similar moves as demand falls off and stocks are elevated. As a small producer, signing one big deal to liquidate large amounts of stock is very appealing.
🧪Proof: 101 proof, 50.5% ABV - Note that Castle & Key tastes each batch and bottles it at the proof the find best suited. As such, batches have ranged from 97-103 proof and probably will continue to dance around.
🎨Color: Y5 - a light apple juice sunrise with medium legs
🥔Mash Bill & Production:
Castle and Key uses modern Vendome copper stills though some of the pre-shutdown equipment such as the open-topped fermenters are still in use. Marianne Eaves, Kentucky's first female Master Distiller since prohibition, was the architect of this bourbon, putting to work a background in chemical engineering and experience at Brown-Foreman. Though she has since departed to run her own operation, she dialed in the mash bill that is in use today. Their aging facility measures 534 feet long and has a capacity of approximately 33,000 to 35,000 barrels while being primarily constructed of brick and limestone. Between the high thermal buffering of the stone and its location at the bottom of a steep glade, I'd expect it to produce a more even, albeit slower, aging effect.
- Mash Bill: 73% White Corn, 10% Rye, 17% Malted Barley - The corn comes from Walnut Grove farm in Adairville, KY. White corn has lower yields and is therefore more expensive but provides a creamier and softer mouthfeel due to higher oil content and softer starches. The Malted Barley component is also notable as it is higher than most other bourbons
- Age: 6 years - This is a shift from the previous four year mark which often was critiqued as being simply too young. To be fair, the economic temptation to turn out whiskey as soon as possible is extreme and the 2022 debut of small batch was at exactly four years from the rollout of their clear spirits.
- Distillation Proof: 135 (125 Low wine)
- Entry Proof: 107
- Barrel Char: 3# Char - Speyside cooperage prepares the barrels with a longer than average seasoning time.
- Batch Size: 115-130 barrels typically
- Filtration: Non-Chill Filtered
👃Nose: Sweet biscuit, malted grain, fresh earth, and creamed corn. Fairly easy on the nose after a first brush.
😜Palate: Pretty darn creamy for the proof. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed it to be a wheater. It's fairly sweet and somewhat monotone with notes of caramel, white pepper, and rye spice. Comparing it to the NAS version this iteration is infinitely smoother and easier-drinking.
💦Finish: Very short, somewhat corn forward, muted flavors.
🏆 Overall: 5.5/10 - Good - This is probably where Castle & Key should have been with their bourbon release. The NAS precursor was a bit rough around the edges and had most of the elements you'd expect from a brand just getting its footing. Castle & Key Small Batch Bourbon 6YR is a solid bottle brought to us at a competitive price point by Costco, but I think there is still room for growth in terms of flavor development. On balance, 6YR is quite easy to drink at the current proof point and the base spirit seems to be high quality. My guess would be that the Rickhouse environment is likely to blame; the relatively gentle microclimate is producing a nicely rounded whiskey but one that may need a full 8-10 years to get to peak flavor.
💵Would buy again? Happy to have tried it once post age upgrade. Would be interested in trying something older from them to test my hypothesis.
⚖️Rating Scale:
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws | Struggle to get through the bottle
4 | Serviceable | Mixing or ice recommended.
5 | Good | Drinkable Neat | An agreeable dram indeed.
6 | Very Good | Any flaws offset by interesting flavors | A cut above.
7 | Great | You find yourself reaching for this one often | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Serve to Impress Guests | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite | You guard this bottle jealously