Yellowstone Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Rum Casks

Another instance of an absolute delighted me to see a new Limestone Branch product released, and readily available in stores. Behind the very first finished variant (toasted oak), this is usually the next most obvious finishing choice for most American whiskey distillers, and I'm surprised we didn't see it sooner. Nevertheless, the actual final product here is different enough from most other distilleries, as the base whiskey is fairly young (but not so much that the sweetness of the rum can cut through raw grain flavor), but the finishing time of just a couple months is really quite short indeed, so I wonder how much rum flavor we'll actually experience here. As always, I love the colors used on the label (the deep slate blue for the "rum" banner is gorgeous), and am excited to see it next to my other Yellowstones on the shelf, despite the fact that this is my only Yellowstone bottle I currently have that isn't master-distiller-signed (was too excited at the store to wait). 100 proof seems well centered to be approachable but still high enough to unlock some of the finishing barrel notes, and, no matter what, I hope this is only one of many different finishes we'll continue to see from this distillery. The color is a blend somewhere in the middle of a deep copper, a dark butterscotch, and a general burnished, but is a little darker than expected for a 4 year bourbon, which puts my brain into rum-desire mode. Candied nuts, molasses, and a touch of lemon zest are the first notes on the nose. The ethanol is indeed approachable, and is actually underwhelming at this proof point. There is some young grain, specifically sweet corn that is also noticeable, but repeat smelling really focuses on the above few notes through and through, keeping things simple, but with the mind still focused on that rum finish. The body is light in texture, but spicy and carries well throughout the whole tasting. Initial flavors of molasses and caramel are easy detected, but lighter and more faint than I would want. The base whiskey isn't contributing much here, but there are notes of basic grain mash and citrus zest, as well as a decent rye burn in the gums. The finish switches things over to said rye, as the burn starts to intensify, but not quite dry out the mouth. This particular finished variant is simultaneously spot-on with providing the barrel finished flavors, as well as being quite boring and basic. For a brief moment, the rum really shines through, but you can tell the finish time was far too short, because the base bourbon notes take over, and leave you longing for the rum notes found on the nose. This is an example of things that could have been, which is shocking from this distillery in the end, considering one of their finished variants spent multiple YEARS in a finishing barrel. Nevertheless, it's still quite tasty and can stand well alone, but I wouldn't reach for this to put in cocktails and try to convince anyone that the rum flavor will transfer over.

Nice sweetness to it from the Rum Cask. Nice flavor overall!

A nice and complex bourbon and might just be my favorite Yellowstone! A slight build on the front gives way to a melody of flavors.