Breaker Bourbon Whisky - Batch No. 05

Breaker Bourbon Whisky - Batch No. 05, 5 YO, 45 %

The craft distillery Ascendant Spirits in Buellton, California, opened in March 2013. My timing back then was quite perfect, as I got to visit the distillery just a few weeks later (see article here). I also got to try batch 1 of their Breaker Bourbon back then.

The Breaker Bourbon Whisky - Batch No. 05 is 5 years old, which means the spirit itself cannot have been produced at the distillery. Here's what they say:

Ascendant Spirits currently uses a bourbon distillate with a corn, rye and barley mash bill distilled by the Lawrenceburg Distillery in Indiana (LDI) more than five years ago.

Lawrenceburg Distillery is owned by the conglomerate MGP Ingredients Inc.

While the bourbon sold by the distillery today is not distilled by them, they do mature the spirit, blend it and bottle it on site.

At Ascendant, we sample and record the characteristics of each barrel, seeking a set of eight barrels which, when blended together, produce the exceptionally smooth flavor and complexity that we seek to give our Breaker consumers.

We take these eight selected barrels and then produce the final product batch and hand-bottle it. Every bottle is then individually numbered with a unique bottle and batch number. This very small amount of finished whiskey which is blended and bottled per batch is what makes our product “artisan” or “hand-crafted”.

They are already producing and selling their own 100 % yellow corn based moonshine (Silver Lightning), and a very patriotic un-aged Corn Whiskey distilled from red, white and blue corn (Semper Fi). Hopefully we will see a bourbon distilled and fully matured at Ascendant Spirits within a few years as well.

Nose (22/25): Vanilla, banana, apples and a whiff of smoke. Very much like Batch No. 1 so far. Give it a bit more time and there is a mild oakiness to it, and I swear I can detect a hint of mint and Tiger Balm!

Taste (22/25): Smooth! Mild caramel flavors, mixed with maple syrup, vanilla, burnt toast, banana and mild spiciness (ginger).

Finish (21/25): Medium length. More of the same really. Does become a bit more dry towards the end, a bit more oaky spiciness.

Balance (22/25): A well-balanced and robust bourbon.

Score (87/100)

Sláinte! - Thomas