Located just two miles outside of Lebanon, KY is (to my knowledge) the only dog-friendly distillery on the Bourbon Trail: Limestone Branch Distillery — home of Yellowstone Bourbon and Minor Case Rye Whiskey. Headed by Stephen Beam and his brother Paul (yes, they are related to that Beam family), they are revitalizing an old family brand founded by J.B. Dant back in the 1800s.
In 2016, Steve Beam took the jug that held Minor Case Beam’s original mother yeast to Dr. Pat Heist at Ferm Solutions, who found a 100% genetic match to Minor Case’s yeast from over 100 years ago. That original yeast strain has been used to make all whiskey at Limestone Branch Distillery ever since.
Today’s subject: the 2023 Yellowstone Limited Edition. The Limited Edition is an annual release — this year’s is a 101-proof Kentucky straight bourbon finished in Tokaji barrels (Hungarian dessert wine), blending 7-, 13-, and 16-year bourbons. Since Limestone Branch wasn’t operational 16 years ago, we can safely assume this is sourced whiskey — and sourcing is not a crime.
Tasting Notes
Color: Beautiful hybrid of mahogany and molasses
Nose: Prominent proof on first sniff, mellowing into candied oranges, toasted oak, dried butterscotch syrup, and — curiously — the color blue. Tokaji makes me think of blue.
Palate: Welcoming and warming — chestnuts, baking spices, toasted oak, bitter wood tannins, followed by delicate sweetness, candied oranges, candied apple, and pear. The Tokaji finish is so delicate the bourbon’s characteristics are accentuated but not overpowered.
Originally published on Wine & Whiskey Globe. Sample received from Yellowstone Bourbon.