The history of Yellowstone bourbon is very old and involved, starting in 1872 to present day with a lot of changes along the way. If you want to do a deep dive the best source that I’ve found for the history of Yellowstone is from bourbonveach.com.
I’ll pick it up in 2010 when Paul and Stephen Beam founded Limestone Branch Distillery, located in Lebanon Kentucky. Their purpose was to fulfill the dream of continuing the legacy to once again create Yellowstone bourbon, which in the 1960’s was one of the most popular bourbons on the market. Steve and Paul Beam have ancestral roots on both sides of their family dating back to the late 1700’s to Jacob Beam and the early 1800’s to Joseph W. Dant. Inspired by a recipe found in notes from their grandfather, Guy Beam and by using cloned yeast from a yeast jug on display at the Oscar Getz Whiskey Museum in Bardstown KY (belonging to their great-grandfather Minor Case Beam) the Yellowstone recipe reflects the original Yellowstone bourbon and mash bill. It’s this recipe that Steve Beam has been using at Limestone Branch Distillery since 2015. Also in 2015 Luxco purchased a 50% share of Limestone Branch Distillery.
Today I’m reviewing a single barrel selection chosen by Chad and Sara of the YouTube Channel, It’s Bourbon Night. They chose to name this one “Limestone Cowboy”. Let’s get to it!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Limestone Branch Distillery.
Barrel picked by: It’s Bourbon Night and distributed by Keg ‘n Bottle.
Proof: 115.
Age: 5 years.
Barrel fill date: 9/21/2017, Barrel#7787401 “Limestone Cowboy”.
Mash bill: 75% Corn/ 13% Rye/ 12% Malted Barley.
Price: Retail $62.
Appearance: Golden amber.
Nose
Peanuts, butterscotch, nectarines, banana, green tea, lemon citrus, nutmeg, cinnamon spice and oak. The peanut note is what I notice first but it’s on the gentle side. As time goes on the pour opens up with more butterscotch sweetness, banana and green tea. I also love the bright lemon citrus, nutmeg and cinnamon spice, with a healthy amount of oak which balances out the sweeter notes. This smells very “Beam” and I love that .
Palate
Right off I like the medium viscous mouthfeel. The nose transfers to the palate with peanut, nectarines, banana, butterscotch, green tea with lemon citrus and rich oak. Cinnamon spice steps in gently but sticks to the palate in a big way. The oak starts out mild but turns into more leather and tobacco that linger long into the finish. This flavor profile creates a very tasty pour.
Finish
Cinnamon spice stays on the whole palate and lower cheeks for a long time. Along for the whole ride is peanut, stone fruit and green tea that linger with tannins that turn to a subtle but heavy tobacco as time goes on.
Conclusion
This is my first experience with Yellowstone and I’ve been loving this bottle. Given its DNA, I expected it to have a Beam vibe to it and it definitely checks that box. At the same time, it’s also unique enough to stand on its own merit. At least this single barrel is. I liked this bottle from the get-go but after a couple of weeks there was a noticeable improvement. Specifically, more peanut and stone fruit came forward and the cinnamon spice calmed down which helped the balance. Overall, this is Yellowstone single barrel is an excellent pick by the folks at It’s Bourbon Night, that has me curious to check out other Yellowstone expressions and to look forward to what Limestone Branch does in the future.
Rating: 6.7/10.
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
