Backbone Bourbon Brings Out Its Big Bash Whiskey

by Gary Carter
January 24, 2023

The team at Indiana’s Backbone Bourbon has been working on the “Big Bash” concept for most of last year, and the whiskey makers say that it’s turned out to be their most ambitious and challenging blending work yet.

A recent email to its followers from the whiskey brand notes that the inspiration for this new Big Bash whiskey was born out of the flavor profiles they’ve found putting their American whiskey into a host of different finishing barrels.

In fact, for the last three years, the Backbone Bourbon team has put whiskey into more than 25 different types of finishing barrels.

Backbone Big Bash — The team at Indiana’s Backbone Bourbon has been working on the “Big Bash” concept for most of last year, and the whiskey makers say that it’s turned out to be their most ambitious and challenging blending work yet. (image via Backbone Bourbon)

Some of those finishing barrels have been traditional, like Sherry, rum, Port, and so on. But many have been non-traditional, like Islay Scotch, imperial stout, Amaro, Grand Marnier, Anejo tequila, and banana brandy.

The whiskey makers explained their goal with the Big Bash was to create a whiskey that had a touch of fruitiness, with a balanced and slightly exotic sweetness.

This whiskey is a blend of straight rye and straight bourbon, and more than 90 percent of the blend consists of whiskeys that have been in a finishing barrel between six months and two years.

The whiskey comes in a patriotic, hand labeled bottle and it clocks in at 55% ABV, or 110 proof.

The name “Big Bash” actually came once the team first tasted the liquid. They used a lot of different flavor profiles in this whiskey, and the blenders found it to be a big party or big bash coming together in the bottle.