Blue Run
Single Barrel Cask Strength
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Aged 13.5 Years
Barrel 1
125 proof
Batch: Spring 2021
Have you heard of Blue Run Spirits? This Blue Run 13.5 yr Single Barrel Bourbon will be their 2nd release (or one of their 2nd releases – there is a 14 yr small batch on the way, and it looks like there is a rye in the works, too). The first release was a 13 year old Kentucky straight bourbon, which I had written about a few months ago. This one is a single barrel, so of course there will be some variability, and the bottle you get could be from a different barrel than the one that I am tasting. This bourbon becomes available for purchase online starting Monday May 10, 2021.
Blue Run Spirits may be new, but they recently cleaned up at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. They won best in class for both their upcoming releases, this one and the 14 yr! Congratulations! Although with Jim Rutledge as their “Liquid Advisor”, involved in selecting their sourced barrels and distilling their new make, I would say the cards were stacked in their favor from the start! I really enjoyed the first release, so I am excited to give this one a try. Many thanks to their CEO, Mike Montgomery, for sending me a sample!
Tasting Notes
Let’s taste it:
🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn
👉🏻Nose: Vanilla, butter, cedar, dark stone fruit, barrel char, brown sugar, light leather; moderate alcohol
👉🏻Taste: Oak forward with some toffee, brown sugar and a creamy mouthfeel
👉🏻Finish: Oak continues and pepper is added and grows; a drier woodiness comes forward and lingers into the long finish with a nice Kentucky hug
Summary
This Blue Run 13.5 yr Single Barrel Bourbon is one for those who enjoy a well aged bourbon. I find the oak to be fairly pronounced, which is something that I like. The nose is full and rich. Going back and reading my notes on Blue Run’s first release, the 13 year old, I made comments there which hold true for this one as well. So I’ll just use them again 😊: The nose is amazing; full and rich, with a bit of fruit. The taste and finish have an increasing dryness with plenty of oak. Overall this is a very enjoyable bourbon. It does show its age, and actually seems even a bit older than 13.5 years to me. Have you had any Blue Run bourbon? What did you think? Cheers!🥃
Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us?🙂 If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!
