As many of us do, a few months ago I caught myself reading several articles about a new upcoming bourbon. What was even more intriguing to me was this bourbon was being distilled on the historic Old Taylor Distillery grounds. Then as always, Whiskey Tube started to review this bottle as I hopped on the cool kid’s train and found a bottle of Castle & Key Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Batch 2 to review today.

From the Castle & Key Website: A dedication to being patient and creating quality spirits from scratch. Since the beginning, we looked forward to the time that we could share our bourbon with the world. Now, we raise a toast with the first proprietary bourbon to be distilled and released by Castle & Key from the restored grounds of the historic Old Taylor Distillery in nearly five decades.

Overall, I was unfortunately disappointed in the outcome of this highly anticipated bourbon. Although many will like this bourbon, the overpowering notes of bread and cereal were not pleasant for my taste profile. Nonetheless, I will come back to this bottle in the future to see if some time changes the overall profile. With that said, let’s get our taste on!

• Nose: Bread Dough, Fruitiness, Vanilla, Baking Spice, Grass Hay, and Slight Ethanol
• Palate: Bread, Yeast, Corn Flakes, Barrel Wood, and Slight Floral Fruitiness
• Finish: Medium Ending in Bread and Cereal Grains
• 2022 MSRP: $49
• 2022 National Average: $59
• My Rating: Shelve It! [Updated to Donate it!]

Please remember, drinking bourbon is a personal adventure, so do not be afraid to drink it neat, with ice, or add some water. It’s your bourbon, you bought it, and you should enjoy it how you want to enjoy it!

Cheers! Prost! Sláinte!

Bourbon Bossman