Stillhouse Black Bourbon Review

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Stillhouse Spirits Co.
• MASH BILL: A proprietary blend of corn, rye and barley
• AGE: NAS – No Age Statement
• YEAR: 2018
• PROOF: 80 (40% ABV)
• MSRP: $19.95/ 375ml, $29.95/ 750ml
• BUY ONLINE: Pre-Order at ReserveBar (Use promo code BLACKBOURBON upon checkout for free shipping)

JARROD'S NOTES

NOSE: Grain Alcohol | Oak | Coffee

TASTE: Ethanol | Wood | Rye Spice

FINISH: I wouldn’t necessarily label it as hot overall, but it has a fair amount of heat for an 80 proof whiskey. Taken neat, it all falls a bit flat for me flavor wise, but I do finally get a little of the coffee taste in the finish as the wood and ethanol burn off.

SHARE WITH: Maybe save this one for the cocktail enthusiasts in your life or an accident prone friend that requires an easy to carry, unbreakable whiskey container.

WORTH THE PRICE: I ran across a Wall Street Journal article about Stillhouse titled “Moonshine Goes High End – From the back alley to the boardroom.” Anytime a brand tries to position their selves as “High End”, there’s a premium to be paid.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Definitely falls into the BAR category for me. I’m glad I got the chance to try it, but it just didn’t live up to the hype for me.

OVERALL: I wish I could have been able to taste this blind, because I just can’t seem to get over the fact that it comes in a turpentine can. It definitely stands out on the liquor store shelf, and I get that Stillhouse is trying to “reinvent the idea of what bourbon should be”, but this misses the mark in my opinion. I applaud their innovation and willingness to be different, but I have to agree with G-Eazy when he says “our bourbon is unlike anything else on the planet.” I like bourbon, I love coffee, and I really wanted to love bourbon rested in coffee. But I don’t.

But let’s not beat around the bush here… I don’t believe this is the type of whiskey intended for you to take your time with and casually sip neat from a Glencairn glass as you decipher the subtle complexities of the golden nectar before you… although that is exactly what I have done for you here. (You’re welcome) Based on what I gather from their marketing campaigns and the unbreakable, stainless steel take-with-you-anywhere can, the true target audience of Stillhouse Whiskies is more the late-night-spring-break-club-scene-party-goers than serious whiskey connoisseurs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that… To each their own! Twist that cap off and go to town!

Granted, I do think this Black Bourbon is something of an attempt by Stillhouse to be taken more seriously by whiskey drinkers compared to their standard, un-aged, corn-based flavored releases like Apple Crisp, Peach Tea, Mint Chip, Coconut, or Spiced Cherry whiskies, which are “best served ice cold, as shots, or in punch.” Take that for what you will. On a positive note, it is their first release with the word “Bourbon” on the label, so it had to have spent some amount of time in new, charred American Oak barrels, after which it was charcoal filtered and left to rest and mellow in roasted, small batch coffee beans… a first for the bourbon world. Definitely a step in the right direction. “Unbreakable. Unmistakable. Undeniably different.” is one of their catchy taglines, (they have a few) although I have to say, I really prefer the “When You Hail From A Can, There Are No Can’ts” line myself. Pure gold right there!

I feel this is a brand that is really trying to have fun with what they do, and in that spirit, I really tried to have fun with this review. I didn’t love the whiskey itself, but I like the story, and I like that they are pushing the envelope and trying new things. I attempted to get myself in the proper frame of mind by hooking up the ole Bluetooth speaker, cuing up a few G-Eazy videos on YouTube and essentially having a freestyle rap battle with my cat (which I dominated by the way!) But it wasn’t quite enough to seal the deal. But you know what…. I had fun. And that’s what whiskey all about. Cheers! #drinkcurious

BRAND NOTES

Stillhouse Spirits Co., renowned for its unbreakable stainless steel can and award-winning whiskey, announces their first release of Stillhouse Black Bourbon – the first ever bourbon rested and mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans.

Unbreakable. Unmistakable. Undeniably different. That same spirit lives within Stillhouse Black Bourbon – a masterful blend of corn, rye, barley & limestone water, distilled to perfection, barreled in charred new American Oak barrels before being charcoal filtered, then rested & mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans. The combination of the bold coffee beans and richness of the charred barrels results in soft aromatic notes of caramel and coffee, with a distinctly balanced body and a remarkably smooth finish.

STILLHOUSE BLACK BOURBON LAUNCH PRESS RELEASE

THE SPIRIT OF DEFIANCE LIVES ON: AWARD-WINNING STILLHOUSE SPIRITS CO. SHATTERS INDUSTRY NORMS WITH STILLHOUSE BLACK BOURBON

Disruptive Spirits Brand to Debut Another Game-Changing Offering with Bourbon Rested and Mellowed in Roasted Small Batch Coffee Beans in March

LOS ANGELES, CA (March 1, 2018) – There’s a spirit that courses through the veins of those destined to be different. A spirit of defiance that comes from staying true to oneself and going freely where others can’t or won’t go. Today, Stillhouse Spirits Co., renowned for its unbreakable stainless steel can and award-winning whiskey, announces their first release of Stillhouse Black Bourbon – the first ever bourbon rested and mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans, due to hit shelves later this month.

Unbreakable. Unmistakable. Undeniably different. That same spirit lives within Stillhouse Black Bourbon – a masterful blend of corn, rye, barley & limestone water, distilled to perfection, barreled in charred new American Oak barrels before being charcoal filtered, then rested & mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans. The combination of the bold coffee beans and richness of the charred barrels results in soft aromatic notes of caramel and coffee, with a distinctly balanced body and a remarkably smooth finish.

“We’ve spent the past few years crafting Stillhouse Black Bourbon to perfection, working to bring our signature unique spin to a very traditional product. Our aim was to produce a world-class bourbon, and we’ve certainly achieved that. We pride ourselves on being uniquely different and with Stillhouse Black Bourbon we continue to redefine the industry and define a lifestyle – one that shatters stereotypes and doesn’t live by rules” says Brad Beckerman, Founder & CEO of Stillhouse Spirits Co.

“Authenticity is everything to me and I’m proud to have been so heavily involved in the development of Stillhouse Black Bourbon” says G-Eazy, the multi-platinum rapper and producer who is Investing Partner and the Co-Creative Director of Stillhouse Spirits Co., and just kicked-off his international ‘The Beautiful & Damned’ tour. “Working closely with Brad and the Stillhouse team has been such a dope experience, and as a whiskey enthusiast I’m excited to introduce Stillhouse Black Bourbon. If there’s one thing I love as much as bourbon it’s coffee, and I can confidently say that our bourbon is unlike anything else on the planet, we have reinvented the idea of what bourbon should be and I can’t wait for all of my fellow bourbon drinkers to experience it.”

Stillhouse Black Bourbon (80 proof / 40% ABV) joins Stillhouse’s diverse clear whiskey portfolio of all-natural, gluten-free expressions that includes Original (80 proof / 40% ABV) Apple Crisp, Peach Tea, Coconut, Mint Chip, Red Hot and limited release Spiced Cherry (69 proof / 34.5% ABV). Continuing to go against the grain, Stillhouse Black Bourbon is encased in a matte black can fitted with a heavy duty solid steel cap, putting a new spin on Stillhouse’s one-of-a-kind packaging.

With its debut this month, limited quantities of Stillhouse Black Bourbon 750mL cans will be available in all markets that distribute Stillhouse.  Stillhouse Black Bourbon is now also available for pre-sale online at ReserveBar.com*. Stillhouse Black Bourbon will be available in the 375mL “Roadie”, a pocket-sized flask perfect for traveling on-the-go, by summer 2018. Suggested MSRP is $29.95 for Stillhouse Black Bourbon’s shareable 750mL can and $19.95 for Stillhouse Black Bourbon’s 375mL can.

*Availability varies according to market

Disclaimer: Stillhouse Spirits Co. provided Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.