From time to time, I just need a really inexpensive bourbon for mixing. Whether we need it for basic cocktails or to make a larger pitcher cocktail, it is useful to have a basic bourbon on hand. With the holiday season upon us, I decided to take a chance on Kentucky Tavern Bourbon.
Considering the 1.75L bottle was only $14.99, it didn’t take too much convincing to buy a bottle. We like to give every whiskey a shot neat, including the inexpensive ones. But, if all else fails any whiskey tastes OK mixed with some type of soda.
Kentucky Tavern Special Reserve
Kentucky Tavern is a brand that has been around for a while. According to 31 | Whiskey, Richard Monarch entered the distilling business after his older brother opened Eagle Distillery. Richard decided to enlist the help of his other brother, Daniel (not Daryl), and opened the D. Monarch and Brother Distilling Co at the height of the post-Civil War whiskey boom.
Unfortunately, Daniel passed away in 1875, and Richard was left to run the business on his own. Richard decided to find new partners for the distillery, which created a number of legal issues for him. He ended up being sued by the wife of one of his partners. Richard was found not guilty in court, but the case made national headlines.
Following the death of his brother, Richard chose to buy the Eagle Distillery which his brother had founded. Unfortunately for Richard, the expansion came at a time when whiskey was widely overproduced. By 1898, the market crashed and Richard was forced into bankruptcy.
The distillery was purchased out of bankruptcy by James Thompson. In 1903, Thompson registered the Kentucky Tavern trademark and renamed the distillery Glenmore. His family continued to make Kentucky Tavern into the 1990s before the company changed hands several times.
Sazerac, the current brand owner, eventually purchased Kentucky Tavern. The bottle indicates that Kentucky Tavern is a bourbon whiskey with natural flavors. It is bottled by the Glenmore Distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.
Tasting Notes
There was not much information found about Kentucky Tavern other than the 31 | Whiskey review. There were a few ratings found on the Total Wine page, but nothing that detailed others’ tasting notes. Considering it is a very cheap whiskey, we had very low expectations.
I noticed caramel on the nose with hints of banana. It has a very strong ethanol smell, like a young whiskey, that Alie noticed on her first whiff. It didn’t leave much of an impression.
The first thing I noticed was a grain alcohol taste. It reminded me of a very bland gin or another clear spirit. I noticed a touch of banana flavor before the flavor disappeared into a warm tingle in my throat. Kentucky Tavern had a mild to a moderate intensity that was actually pleasant despite the lack of other flavors.
Alie noticed a pear flavor in the whiskey. But, she “always gets pear'” when she sips whiskey, so you can take what you want from that statement. She also felt it tasted very young. She felt the finish was relatively mild but agreed that it lingered.
Our Ratings
Drinkability: 2.5
Personal Preference: 1.5
Intensity: 2.6
Beginner Friendly: 2.5
Availability: 4
Overall: 2.3
Final Thoughts
As we were discussing our ratings, Alie stated, “It’s none of these things. it’s what you expect from whiskey in a plastic bottle.” That’s either an insult or the highest compliment.
Calls from the background, “It’s definitely an insult.”
She made her point that there isn’t much going on with Kentucky Tavern. It isn’t the worst whiskey I’ve tried. However, it is the lowest-rated whiskey on our review list as it currently stands. Hell, it even made Giant Texas Bourbon seem like a top-shelf choice.
Let’s face it, if you’re buying Kentucky Tavern, you probably don’t care about the taste, you’d just rather drink whiskey than some flavored vodka. Either that or you’re making some party punch, which is what Alie and I plan to do with the rest of this bottle. Keep an eye out for the recipe in one of our future Mix It Up Monday posts.
Happy Exploring!
