15 STARS Kentucky Stars Bourbon Review

Kentucky Stars
15 STARS
Fine Aged Bourbon
Proof 105
MSRP: TBD
Review

Please enjoy our 15 STARS Kentucky Stars Bourbon review!

“A Select Blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskeys Aged A Minimum Of 8 Years”

15 STARS’ First Kentucky Only Release

Kentucky Stars is 15 STARS’ first Kentucky only release. According to the bottle label: “In 1795, Kentucky was celebrated as the 15th state on the second US flag with 15 stars, and 15 stripes. Since then, Kentucky has been at the center of distilling in America. Kentucky Stars limited releases honor the state’s long history of distilling excellence.”

15 STARS Was Started By A Father – Son Team

The father and son team of Rick and Ricky Johnson started 15 STARS, with their first release, being back in the Spring of 2022. Currently, Rick and Ricky are distilling and aging their own bourbons, using heirloom corns. One of them is a wheated bourbon which uses Heirloom Baby Black Corn. The other is a “rye” bourbon made from red, white and blue heritage corns. The team also plans to release each of the individual corn mash bills separately. While their whiskey is aging, Rick and Ricky have been releasing a series of sourced, limited releases, with 15 STARS Platinum Bourbon and Kentucky Stars Bourbon being the most recent as of the time of this review in July 30, 2023. Since then, 15 STARS 8 & 15 Bourbon and 15 STARS First West Bourbon, amongst others, have also been released.

Tasting Notes – 15 STARS Kentucky Stars Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Cherry, orange peel, light wintergreen and cinnamon, brown sugar, cedar; subtle oak & leather; moderate alcohol
👉Taste: Brown sugar, caramel, tart orange citrus, light oak
👉Finish: Brown sugar and orange citrus linger into the finish; moderate white pepper spice; dryness later on, with lingering dry oak; there’s some subtle leather, too; long finish; relatively mild burn

An Orange Citrusy Tang

There’s a bit of an orange citrusy tang throughout; unexpected for me in an 8+ year Kentucky bourbon. However, once I am acclimated, I find it quite pleasant. The tart orange blends quite well with the classic bourbon and older barrel flavors.

Conclusion

15 STARS Kentucky Stars is a very enjoyable bourbon, albeit with a bit of a different flavor profile than I had anticipated. Therefore, if you are a fan of Kentucky bourbons in the 8+ year range, but would like to try something with a bit of a different “orange twist” (I’m here all week🤣), then give Kentucky Stars a try!

Have you tried any of 15 STARS whiskeys? What did you think? Cheers!🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our review! If you would like to read about some more 15 STARS Whiskeys, check out our 15 STARS Platinum Bourbon Review, 15 Stars Triple Cask Bourbon Review, 15 STARS 8 & 15 Bourbon Review and our 15 STARS First West Bourbon Review.

Date of original review: July 2023. Updated July 2024.

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