Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Review

Ship’s Bell
Blended Bourbon Whiskey
Veritable Distillery
86 Proof
SRP: $36.99 (700ml)
Review

Please enjoy our Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Whiskey Review!

“There’s a lot to this bourbon for 86 proof”

Veritable Distillery

Veritable Distillery is located in Stonington, CT. They recently unveiled their first two expressions, Ship’s Bell Bourbon and Southwick’s American Gin. Since I am Bourbon Obsessed, not Gin Obsessed, we will be reviewing the Ship’s Bell Bourbon.

We can learn a bit about Veritable Distillery from the bottle’s back label “Veritable Distillery produces authentic premium spirits, using only traditional methods with no additives of any kind. We believe in transparency, including the voluntary disclosure of ingredients and serving facts on our bottle labels.” Those are noble goals, and we respect a distillery that lives by them.

The Specifics:

Ship’s Bell Bourbon is an interesting blend developed in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Company in Kentucky. The bourbon is aged for three years in new American white oak casks and then is blended with Veritable’s own house distilled American Single Malt Whiskey. Their ASM is crafted from 100% malted barley and aged in Connecticut for three years in ex-Rye casks from Bardstown Bourbon Company. According to the distillery, “the result is a blended bourbon of exceptional depth and balance.” (Note: This information is from the brand website and press release. The bottle label says something a little different, as you can see in the photo.)

• Bourbon Mash Bill: 73% Corn, 21% Rye, 6% Malted Barley (Bardstown Bourbon Company)
• Veritable American Single Malt: 100% malted Barley
• Age: 3 Years
• Non-Chill Filtered

Blended Bourbon Whiskey?

Before we move on to the tasting notes, let’s clarify what constitutes a “Blended Bourbon Whiskey”. According to the TTB, it is “a blended whisky produced in the U.S. containing not less than 51% on a proof gallon basis (excluding alcohol derived from added harmless coloring, flavoring or blending materials) straight bourbon whisky.” So, as we can see, it has a pretty liberal definition, and what makes up the remaining 49% of the blend is not specified. In the case of Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon, we are assuming that this is only a blend of straight bourbon and American Single Malt, and nothing else.

Tasting Notes – Veritable Distillery Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

🛏 Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

👉🏻Nose: Sweet cherries, pears, and peaches, light graininess, hints of rye spices; mild oak; soft rich caramel; light honey; a touch of tart orange peel later on; alcohol vapor appropriate for the proof.
👉🏻Taste: Peaches, mild tart orange peel, light caramel & honey, sweet corn, mild dry oak, mild white pepper spice
👉🏻Finish: White pepper spice grows and lingers, increasingly dry, mild tannins, tart orange peel; lingering honey and tangerines, mild barrel char later on; fairly long; pleasant warmth

The nose is quite fruit forward with sweet cherries, pears, and peaches. In the background is a light graininess, hints of rye spices, and mild dry oak. There is also a soft rich caramel and light honey in the background as well, with a touch of tart orange peel later on, and becoming increasingly noticeable, after a few sips. The alcohol vapor is appropriate for the proof.

The taste has sweet peaches, light caramel and honey, sweet corn, mild tart orange peels, mild dry oak and developing white pepper spice. The white pepper grows and lingers throughout the finish. The finish becomes increasingly dry, with mild tannins & tart orange peels, but also lingering honey and sweet tangerines. There is mild barrel char later on in the fairly long finished. In the end I am left with a pleasant warmth.

Summary

Ships Bell Blended Bourbon has a fairly complex nose, which leads off with plenty of sweet fruit, but develops a bit of a tang and mild spice, later on. Interestingly, the taste follows a similar course, with the sweet peaches being most noticeable early on, and drier flavors and spice more noticeable later. In fact, this bourbon has quite a bit of flavor and body for its relatively low 86 proof. I am assuming that the fairly complex flavor profile is coming from the single malt which was finished in Rye barrels, combining well with the younger bourbon. Perhaps the single malt brings some of the fruit notes as well, with the bourbon bringing some of the sweeter notes. Regardless, it works. I am very much enjoying this bourbon.

If you’re looking for a lower proof whiskey with a nice mix of flavors and body, then Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Whiskey is one for you to try! Have you had it? What did you think? Cheers! 🥃

We hope you have enjoyed our Ship’s Bell Blended Bourbon Whiskey Review!

Note: This bottle was graciously provided by the brand for our review. We appreciate it!

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