Golden Sheaf Bourbon Review

Golden Sheaf
Authentic Old Style Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 2
Omaha, NE
Proof: 107
MSRP: $125 at Seelbach’s
Review

Please enjoy our Golden Sheaf Bourbon Review! (Batch 2)

Originally A Wheated Bourbon

Golden Sheaf Bourbon Batch #1 was a “wheated” bourbon, as was the original 1800s recipe. A “wheated” bourbon uses wheat as the secondary grain, after corn. However, Golden Sheaf Bourbon Batch #2 is a “rye” bourbon. As the name implies, a “rye” bourbon uses rye as the secondary grain after corn. That happens to be the most common type of bourbon today. Batch #2 is a blend of Kentucky, Indiana and Louisiana bourbons aged from 6-8 years. Wondering what it’s like? Let’s find out!

Golden Sheaf’s History Goes Back To 1866

Golden Sheaf Bourbon initially was a brand of the Willow Springs Distillery in Omaha, Nebraska. The brand was originally founded in 1866 and the distillery rose to become the third largest in the US by 1875. Unfortunately, the brand disappeared during Prohibition. Interestingly, that was entirely by choice. It turns out that the producers of Golden Sheaf Whiskey were offered one of the coveted medicinal whiskey licenses that would have allowed them to continue through prohibition, however they declined.

Fast forward to 2020. The brand was resurrected by David Mark Young and their first batch of blended sourced bourbon was released. The original 1866 version of Golden Sheaf Bourbon was a wheated bourbon, and the first batch released in 2020 was, as well. However, when it came time for batch 2, aged wheated bourbon was no longer available, so batch 2 is a “rye” bourbon.

Golden Sheaf Bourbon Batch 2 Is An Interesting Blend

Golden Sheaf Bourbon Batch 2 is interesting in that it is made up of bourbons from Kentucky, Indiana and Louisiana, aged from 6-8 years. The Louisiana bourbon intrigued me, as that is something with which I am not very familiar. It turns out that it is an 8 year bourbon with a mash bill of 80% corn, 10% rye and 10% malted barley. So that constituent alone makes this bourbon unique.

Tasting Notes – Golden Sheaf Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛌 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉Nose: Cherries and black cherry soda, rye spices, cedar, buttery light caramel and vanilla, brown sugar, subtle milk chocolate; hint of leather in the back; moderate alcohol
👉Taste: Initially fairly soft flavors, with cherry, brown sugar, some light caramel, black tea, rye spices and char, however…
👉Finish: …there is soon rapidly growing moderate spice and a bit more char which bring some dryness that carries on into the long finish; the black cherry soda lingers on, too

The cherry flavors are omnipresent through the sip, but most noticeable in the nose. It is a mix of dark cherries, cherry candy and black cherry soda. The rye spices are next, followed by cedar and buttery caramel and vanilla. The other flavors are noticeable later on, but are more in the background. The taste starts out fairly soft, but rapidly changes to developing spice and some char which then linger on for quite some time.

Conclusion

Overall, Golden Sheaf Bourbon Batch 2 is a very nice bourbon. The contrast in the nose between the quite noticeable dark cherry flavors with the cedar and rye spice are nicely balanced with some buttery rich confectionary flavors. The taste becomes a bit more subtle with the relatively rapid conversion to a spicier, dryer finish which lingers for quite a long time. If you are looking for a complex bourbon and are intriqued by this mix of flavors, then Golden Sheaf is one to try!

We hope you have enjoyed our Golden Sheaf Bourbon Review! (Batch 2) Would you like to read about another recently released whiskey? Check out our Bardstown Bourbon Company Origin Series Rye Review!

Thank you to Golden Sheaf for graciously providing this sample for our review!

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