Bourbon Review: Flaviar Corn Trooper United Craft Bourbon

The Corn Trooper label looks like a shield – the guardian of bourbon reference again – but the upper portion also takes the shape of an interstate freeway sign. And the seven participating distilleries are listed below on what looks like an old-fashioned ticket stub. The stopper on top of the cork shows the Great Seal of the United States, with the eagle replaced by an ear of corn. Together, Soba says, it’s meant to be “an homage to everything American” and to reflect an explorer’s spirit.rnrnUnfortunately, the bourbon is not as developed as the marketing. Not that it isn’t good juice. It is. It just doesn’t have a firm personality of its own. If the label had been an unadorned “Nice Bourbon” label, like the old generic beer cans at the grocery store, it would have been sufficient. Corn Trooper hits all the right notes for bourbon, but none emerges to give the whiskey distinctive character. What Flaviar is trying to do here is admirable, and I love the spirit Soba and others are putting behind it. For now, though, this bourbon is probably a generation or two removed from being ready to stand next to the top-flight whiskies on your shelf.