Illinois-Based Blaum Brothers Releases Four-Year-Old Bourbon

Galena, Illinois-based Blaum Bros. Distilling has announced their first bourbon release, Blaum Bros. Straight Bourbon Whiskey. According to a prepared statement, at four years old, this expression is “the oldest craft-distilled Illinois bourbon whiskey readily available in decades.”

It seems this craft distiller is eager to defy the reputation many craft whiskeys have earned for being either too young or over-oaked after accelerated aging in small barrels, with co-founder and chief distiller Mike Blaum explaining, “We could’ve taken shortcuts to bring a product to market sooner, but we’re in this for the long haul. A four-year-old bourbon is pretty old for a craft distillery, but it’s the youngest whiskey you’ll ever see from us moving forward.” Blaum Bros. has been selling a sourced and house-finished bourbon to fill in the gaps while this release matured, allowing them to hold off until this expression was ready.

The result is a four-year-old straight bourbon made with a mash bill of 72% corn, 23% rye, and 5% malt, and bottled at 100 proof. It appears the grain comes from various sources, but the distillery does call out the fact that the rye was sourced from a single Illinois farm and also that the grains include non-GMO corn and rye.

“We’re so excited to release this Illinois Bourbon Whiskey, using Illinois grains and using traditional production techniques. Far from a distillery trying to quickly crank out a product with small barrels, we’re trying to pay homage to the rich distilling history of our great state,” added co-founder, CEO and distiller, Matt Blaum.

The distillery’s tasting notes are below:

• Nose: Honey, apple, and leather — with a hint of wet oak and hay
• Palate: Rich and complex, with caramel, roasted peanut, cinnamon, and dried orange.
• Finish:  Wood spice, with a kiss of nutmeg and rye bread.

Blaum Bros. whiskeys are currently available at the distillery or at stores in a handful of states.