Bourbon

Bourbon Review: Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon

We review Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon. It's made using only Kentucky-grown corn.

OVERALL RATING

7
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Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon (image via Suzanne Bayard)

Tasting Notes

About:

Aged a minimum of 5 years in new American oak, 45% ABV, mash bill: 70% corn, 21% winter rye, and 9% malted 2 and 6-row barley, SRP $34.99/ 750ml bottle.
Appearance:
This is deep golden amber in color with a golden undertone.
Nose:
The nose opens with a bright confectionery note of candied cherries, ripe strawberries, and a whiff of acetone. It’s rather restrained with notes of roasted chocolate underneath the fruit.
Palate:
The whiskey is rich, silky, and oily in the mouth. Notes of ripe red fruits and fresh lemon show up with a sweetly saccharine note like walking into a candy store. The alcohol gives a peppery feel, accentuating notes of candied cherries. The finish is long, but a bit green and astringent on the palate like over-steeped green tea. Given the chocolate on the nose and the greenness on the finish, I can see the “chocolate mint” note mentioned in the official tasting note, an intriguing note for a bourbon. Water deepens the vanilla note, playing nicely with the red, fruity notes.
Finish:
Comments:
I love the story behind the renovations and appreciate the profound effort that has gone into both the whiskey itself (including by sourcing local grains), outreach to McCulloch’s descendant, and to recapturing the history of the place. Though subtle, this is a fruit-forward and candied whiskey. I found it extremely appealing, if a touch lacking in complexity.rnrnIt clocks in at only $35 for a bottle, which I think is extremely reasonable. The Green River Kentucky Straight Bourbon is available in Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, and Florida.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Suzanne Bayard

Suzanne Bayard struck out to the West Coast with her now husband almost a decade ago to explore the intersection of wine and policy in its world-class wine regions. She manages a Portland, OR bottle shop by day as the wine buyer and newsletter editor. She is also the Director of the Deep Roots Coalition, an organization of 30 Willamette Valley wineries that educate on and promote dry farming and sustainable practices. She joined the Whiskey Wash to explore two other passions: writing and whiskey.

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