Calumet Farm 8 Year Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Calumet 8 Year is the age-stated middle of the Calumet Farm range — the Vintage Release — and Bourbon Culture's notes suggest eight years is where Barton distillate peaks. Calumet Farm is the Lexington thoroughbred stable behind eight Kentucky Derby winners and two Triple Crowns; the bourbon is Western Spirits' label, drawn from a large private stock of Kentucky straight bourbon that its older releases say was distilled and aged in Bardstown — which, with the 74% corn, 18% rye, 8% malted barley mash bill, points to Barton 1792. The 8 is a small batch of eight-year barrels bottled at 90 proof (check your label for the batch) in the bottle with the Calumet devil's-red-and-blue silks. Eight years of Bardstown high-rye is a sweet spot on paper: expect a nose of caramel, vanilla, cherry, and cinnamon with a hint of barrel char, opening into a medium-bodied palate of brown sugar, baking spice, toasted oak, and rye pepper, with a moderate, warming finish that's less tannic than the 14-to-16-year Single Rack Black bottles. Honest note, and it's a real split: The Whiskey Jug's readers found it simple and forgettable at $60, while the brand's fans treat it as the everyday pour beneath the old bottles — it's a sourced small batch competing against 1792 Small Batch at half the price. For a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned with a horse-racing story. Eight years, from the stable.

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