During the holiday season, I received this bottle of bourbon as a gift and will admit I was hesitant to open it; as it was a bottle of bourbon from Missouri. This was a first for me, as I have never seen or heard of any distilleries from this state. When I received this, I did a bit of research and there was little known or written about this Distillery nor was it available in NoCo. However, over the past four months, the brand has grown nationally, can now be found in most stores in NoCo, and is gaining quite a following. Today’s review is from the Holladay Distillery and is Ben Holladay Bottled in Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon.

From the Ben Holladay website: The Holladay Distillery was founded in 1856, making it both the oldest distillery in the state of Missouri and the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original site. The property sits on active limestone springs that were first charted by Lewis and Clark in 1804, more than fifty years before Ben Holladay purchased the land that would later become his legacy.

Ben Holladay Bourbon is classified as a Real Missouri Bourbon under a 2019 law requiring that any whiskey labeled as Missouri bourbon must not only meet the federal standards for bourbon, but also be mashed, fermented, distilled, aged, and bottled in the state; aged in oak barrels manufactured in the state; and—beginning January 1, 2020—made with corn exclusively grown in the state.

As I mentioned, when I first received this bottle it was relatively unavailable in NoCo, but can now widely be found in the region and at a very reasonable price. Overall, Ben Holladay Bottled in Bond Missouri Straight Bourbon is what I would call your quintessential typical bourbon. Bold and bright flavors of vanilla, brown sugar, and baking spices take control of the nose and palate leaving it a bit hard to find others. This is a very enjoyable bourbon, priced decently, that I only have one minor critique of, the dry oak on the palate is a bit overpowering for my liking. With new releases of this bourbon scheduled for 2023, I am excited to see what the Holladay Distillery will produce next! With that said, let’s get our taste on!

• Nose: Apple, All Spice, Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean, Creme Brulee, Brown Sugar, and Caramel
• Palate: Red Fruit, Vanilla, Brown Sugar, Leather, Baking Spices, and Oak
• Finish: Medium to Long with Lingering Notes of Vanilla, Baking Spice, and Dry Oak
• 2023 MSRP: $59
• 2023 National Average: $69
• Proof: 100
• My Rating: Mix It!/Drink it! (The dry oak is a bit over powering for my liking, but still a solid bourbon)

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