Yellowstone Select Bourbon
Want to know you’re in Bourbon country? Ask 10 people in a room - if more than one of them is a Beam or related to a Beam, you’re there.
I kid, of course, but you can’t deny the beneficent octopus that is the Beam Family when it comes to Kentucky bourbon. Besides the eponymous bourbon behemoth that is the Jim Beam Distillery - run by 7th-generation Master Distiller Fred Noe and his son and 8th-generation Beam, Freddie - the Beams and Noes can be found throughout the Kentucky bourbon landscape.
Take Limestone Branch Distillery - founded in 2010 by brothers and 7th-generation Beams Paul and Stephen, their bourbons and ryes are rapidly covering the market. The core Yellowstone bourbon brand - from which a portion of their profits goes to the namesake National Park - is joined by Yellowstone Limited Edition, a yearly release started in 2017, Minor Case Rye, named for a 19th-century member of the Beam family, and Bowling & Burch Gin. Additionally, bourbon groups and sites can do single barrel picks of Yellowstone at varying proofs up to 115 (my group, NJBYC, picked one in 2020 at 115 and it is delicious).
This is one of those distilleries that isn’t going away, and for good reason. It’s only around 10 years old, but it’s got just as much history as Jim Beam itself. It’s not huge, but also isn’t a pair of guys who woke up one day and decided “hey, let’s make some terrible bourbon and sell it for $200 a bottle”. I’m pretty happy with where Limestone Branch is starting, and with the experiments they’re doing with barrel science and finishing I’m excited to see what comes next.
Yellowstone Select Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Limestone Branch Distillery
Mashbill: Undisclosed
Proof: 93 (46.5% ABV)
Age: NAS, blend of 4- and 7-year-old bourbons
Location: KY
Yellowstone Select Bourbon Price: $37
Yellowstone Select bourbon Review: Tasting Notes
Eye: Light honey.
Nose: Corn-forward - the four-year-old component does lend some youth, but the 7-year-old rounds out the nose.
Palate: Tons of rye spice - much more than I expected - hits right away. It doesn’t last too long, fading quickly into an interesting cornbread and cherry blend without being too sweet. Mouthfeel is balanced - not too thick or thin, a bit spicy but still balanced.
Finish: Long-lasting, leans more towards the rye again.
Overall: Having tasted the NJBYC pick at 115 proof, I definitely think a higher proof benefits this. At 93 it’s good, balanced if unremarkable, but at 115 it hits a new flavor level. For an interesting side-by-side, try this against Jim Beam Black or Elijah Craig Small Batch…interesting comparisons to be had.
Final Rating: 5.5
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)
8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)
7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)
6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)
4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)
3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)
2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)
1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)
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