I’m always up for trying new spirits and today we take on a spirit that claims it is made by ghosts - Boone County Founders Reserve.
Laying the Foundation
Produced by Boone County Distilling Company, Founders Reserve pays homage to the generations (or “ghosts”) that came before today’s distillers. 25 miles west of Cincinnati, the Petersburg Distillery was founded by William and John Snyder. In the 1880s, the distillery was the largest in Kentucky, producing one million gallons of bourbon annually. Like many distilleries, Operations were shuttered in 1910 and the remaining stocks were sold off by 1918.
Boone County Distilling Company was reborn by Jack Wells and Josh Quinn on the foundations of its predecessors. Michael Wells serves as the Master Distiller, turning out several bourbons, ryes, and whiskeys.
The Tasting
Boone County Founders Reserve comes in a rectangular, shouldered bottle with raised lettering denoting the Boone County Distillery and its ties to the original distillery dating to 1833. A lovely faux tax stamp covers the stopper proudly sharing the words “Made by Ghosts”. The label shares the mash bill of 74% corn, 21% rye, and 5% malted barley. The finished product is non-chill filtered at 94.8 proof. While earlier releases from Boone County were produced by MGP, the label shares that this product has been distilled, aged, and bottled by Boone County Distilling.
Eye: Copper
Nose: Thick with honey, corn pudding, leaf tobacco, and cinnamon-dusted peach cobbler.
Palate: Grain-forward notes of creamed corn, followed by vanilla, oak, and spice, It reminds me a little bit of a honey-based cough syrup that was spooned into my mouth as a child.
Finish: Medium-long with spice and oak.
Overall: This isn’t awful, but just does not strike my palate as one I’d reach for again. While the bottle is 2/3rds empty, it’s only due to the desire to give this one a fair shake. I keep going back, but it’s not improving the more I taste it. While there is no indication of age, this feels and tastes young.
As a straight whiskey, without an age statement, we can assume it has been aged for at least four years. Based on when Boone County switched from sourcing product to distilling their own, this could be some of their earliest home-distilled distillate. I’ll give them another shot when there is some longer-aged bourbon available.
