Over the past years, Bulleit has become one of the most important bourbon brands on the market. Owned since 2000 by Diageo, Bulleit has bottled until 2016 the spirits of her sister distillery Four Roses, but they eventually built a brand new 300 acres maxi-distillery in Shelbyville, KY.
Obviously, this 10YO bottle is still part of the Four Roses production, and perfectly embodies the mix that made of Bulleit such a beloved and hated bourbon: a 68% corn, 28% rye, 4% malted barley mash bill. Classic bourbon-style aging in American White Oak casks, iconic bottle, slightly higher 45,6% ABV than usual.
Nose
good intensity: the higher aging adds more complexity of vanilla, caramel, and oak wood to the typical spice mix of the rye mash and to the ashy notes given by the charred casks, with a hot spicy pinch to the nose. Pleasant and never tiresome.
Palate
smooth and warm, it offers notes of candied apricot, caramelized orange peels, dry fruit, and white pepper. Sweet but clean.
Finish
dry and hot: a lot of Cayenna’s pepper stimulates the tongue, while ashy ending dries out the palate and prolongs the above mentioned notes of vanilla, spices, and wood.
Clearly, the Bullet 10YO is the maximum expression of the Bulleit style: take it or leave it. With respect to the classic orange label, the four more years circa of aging add more structure and complexity, but they don’t really alter the basic formula.
