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American

Yellow Bird Tennessee Whiskey

$34.99

OVERALL
RATING

7

Whiskey Review: Yellow Bird Tennessee Whiskey

Tasting Notes:

About:
Tennessee Straight Whiskey. 90 proof. MSRP $34.99.
Appearance:
Copper.
Nose:
At first blush we have alcohol vapor greeting our sinuses; it’s young, so this is to be expected. However, once our senses adjust, we are welcomed to orange citrus, bright wildflowers, clover, and white sugar. The #4 char and oak barrels make a subtle backdrop to the floral notes as the smells fade. It is pleasant given the age of this whiskey.
Palate:
The whiskey is smooth across the tongue, although a little watery for my taste. The mouthfeel is more sophisticated than it should be given the age, but still consistent for a new whiskey. We begin the banquet with baking spices and coffee acidity, before mellowing into black cherries and the citrus from the nose. Towards the finish we have the oak char and lingering caramel sweetness from the sugar maple charcoal filtering iconic to Tennessee whiskey. There is a sharp warmth to the chest, nothing worthy of a bad country song, but a reminder this is whiskey. On the exhale a wisp of cigar smoke emerges before disappearing. The finish is short and light.
Finish:
Comments:
I really like birds, and I’m a sucker for a pretty label. Talking strictly about the whiskey, as of right now this bottle isn’t going to be the next whiskey to become allocated. However, I do believe if you can find it (limited distribution) you should try it. The body of this whiskey is lovely, plenty of fun to go around.rnrnLetting this sit with the occasional sip is not going to unlock hidden notes and flavors. It is what it presents itself to be. A lot of new whiskeys are paraded as the next secret. But what I too often find is mediocre whiskey in a shiny bottle. Yellow Bird is a pretty bottle, but I don’t believe they’re trying to blind you with the pinstripes here.rnrnSip it neat or put it in a cocktail, it may just earn a place on your bar cart. With a couple more years, and maybe a barrel proof, this whiskey can really (pardon the pun) spread its wings. I look forward to when it finally leaves the nest.

Editor’s Note: This whisky was provided to us as a review sample by St. Killian Importing. This in no way, per our editorial policies, influenced the final outcome of this review. It should also be noted that by clicking the buy link towards the bottom of this review our site receives a small referral payment which helps to support, but not influence, our editorial and other costs.

Canaries, a famously bright and colorful songbird native to Macaronesian Islands (Azores, Madeira, and of course the Canary Islands) were used as alarms to encroaching poison in coal mines. Before oxygen purification or electronic sensors, minors relied on the small, sensitive bird to alert the miners to danger. The life of a canary was generally brutish and short; living in a small cage, canaries would be transported deep into the mines and chirp as the miners dug. If the chirping stopped, the miners knew to evacuate as poison was likely seeping into the mining area. An important, albeit tragic, life for the little bird.

The last canary retired from coal mining service in 1986, replaced by the “electronic nose.” Ronald Reagan was president, the New York Mets would win the world series, and miners lost an icon.

With that, we turn to explore a new domestic whiskey distributed by St. Killian importing; a four-year-old Tennessee whiskey aptly named Yellow Bird — in the Volunteer State, after all, whiskey is a legacy that runs about as deep as the coal. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing the company’s imports manager, Sarah Sercia. Sarah manages a large portfolio of gin, tequila, and Scotch; she believes that “to be a well-rounded organization, St. Killian needed a domestic whiskey, which would provide greater access to talk domestic brands with suppliers and retailers.” Yellow Bird is Sarah’s stamp on the portfolio.

The whiskey ties to the hundreds of years of history of coal mining in Tennessee. The brand worked with the designer of Reyes Agave to develop an unusually bright label with sky blues, canary yellows, deep greens, and reds. The Yellow Bird bottle stands out from other items on the shelf. “We wanted to draw your eye around the bottle, to see all the key elements: 90 proof, 4 years old, Tennessee Straight Whiskey” says Sarah.

Yellow Bird did one more thing with this new product. “We want to give back,” says Sarah. Yellow Bird donates $1 for every bottle sold to the National Audubon Society. Yellow Bird as a bottle only hit retail shelves within the last year and distribution is not nationwide (yet). but Sarah and her team have big plans for the small bird. “We want to release private barrels, single and barrel proofs, higher age statements, really expand its range. As the brand grows, we also hope to increase how much we can give, that’s an important goal as well.”

Sarah recommends trying the whiskey neat to start before opening it with an ice cube or some water or creating an Espresso Martini or Arnold Palmer. The brand has several whiskey cocktails on its website.

I had a great time talking about Yellow Bird with Sarah. I found the charitable purpose to the whiskey admirable, and something that sets Yellow Bird apart. In February (backyard bird feeder month) Yellow Bird hosted several bars to create cocktails with their whiskey, and those proceeds were donated to local avian charities. Whether or not Yellow Bird has staying power or will go the way of the canary in the coal mine is anyone’s guess. They have a tie to history, they have a beautiful bottle, however what will keep them around is what’s in the bottle, and with that we turn to the glass.

Yellow Bird Tennessee Straight Whiskey review
Yellow Bird Tennessee Straight Whiskey (image via Charles Steele/The Whiskey Wash)

Tasting Notes: Yellow Bird Tennessee Straight Whiskey

Vital Stats: Tennessee Straight Whiskey. 90 proof. MSRP $34.99.

Appearance: Copper.

Nose: At first blush we have alcohol vapor greeting our sinuses; it’s young, so this is to be expected. However, once our senses adjust, we are welcomed to orange citrus, bright wildflowers, clover, and white sugar. The #4 char and oak barrels make a subtle backdrop to the floral notes as the smells fade. It is pleasant given the age of this whiskey.

Taste: The whiskey is smooth across the tongue, although a little watery for my taste. The mouthfeel is more sophisticated than it should be given the age, but still consistent for a new whiskey. We begin the banquet with baking spices and coffee acidity, before mellowing into black cherries and the citrus from the nose.

Towards the finish we have the oak char and lingering caramel sweetness from the sugar maple charcoal filtering iconic to Tennessee whiskey. There is a sharp warmth to the chest, nothing worthy of a bad country song, but a reminder this is whiskey. On the exhale a wisp of cigar smoke emerges before disappearing. The finish is short and light.

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