If youre on the move, thisGlencairn-like stainless steel snifter glassshould survive your travels and avoid shattered glass. Nestor Liquor. It has a satisfying mouthfeel and the 100 proof plays perfectly, providing just the right amount of burn without overdoing it. Netherlands: Noord Holland, Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. Henry McKenna 10 Years Old Single Barrel 232 50% Bardstown, Kentucky 1993. Its that good. [2022] - [The Whiskey Shelf] | All rights reserved, 1.5/2.0 on the color scale (auburn, polished mahogany). With our dedicated team, weare here to help you make informed decisions about choosing the right whisky for you to drink. That variance could also mean that the particular bottle presented at competition was an exceptionrather than a ruleand the offerings on store shelves will not be likely to live up to the hype. - 90/100, Whisky Advocate, Ships within one business day. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Drinkhacker was founded in 2007 by Christopher Null, a longtime entertainment, technology, and lifestyle writer, award-winning winemaker, and the finicky proprietor of what has been called "the best home bar in San Francisco". While a higher age does not necessarily equate to a better bourbon, it does signify a milestone that must be attained before the barrel can be selected and bottled. This also resulted in huge shortages that foreshadowed the current bourbon boom, but also led to unfortunate price increases from what previously was a sub-$30 budget bottle that was easy to find, to one that is now $50+ and allocated. The problem is that theres no way to really know which barrels are good until you try themand hopefully dont waste $40-50 at this point. Something went wrong. Notably spicy (especially cinnamon) and gripping on the palate the ten years in oak are not lost here. In 1958, the number was increased to 20 years. I saw it in at least 4 stores here in SE NC. Shattered glass really sucks, soif youre on the move, thisGlencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Henry McKenna 10 Year won Best Single Barrel Bourbon at the 2018 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, an absolute coup for an affordable bourbon with so many other strong competitors. Kentucky is a state in the central-eastern United States with a long history of alcohol production. Like most bourbons we talk about on here, your best bet for finding Henry McKenna in a local ABC store is to be a loyal, regular customer. Nestor Liquors is a great online retailer that ships to NC, and they frequently have Henry McKenna Single Barrel in stock. They felt that a higher-priced, rarer whiskey should have taken home the prize. In the heart of Kentucky, Henry McKenna himself set out to create a high-quality, well-aged bourbon. Today, Heaven Hill offers Henry McKenna Single Barrel which is aged for 10 years and satisfies the Bottled in Bond (BiB) requirements. A new generation of drinkers is breathing new life into America's native spirit but who is winning? Critics agree that this is perfectly balanced Bourbon.. About Both have been $60. The bill failed to pass, but an 1894 bill extended the maximum bonding period to eight years. It will also be dropping its designations for Kentucky, straight, and bourbon., You can get whiskey in a lot more hands if youre willing to make a couple of changes, explained new master distiller Conor ODriscoll. We want to make sure everyone can enjoy Henry McKenna Bottled in Bond 10-Year Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon, explained senior communications manager Josh Hafer, so were making some changes to the formula to increase distribution., Starting this month, Henry McKenna Single Barrel will no longer be a 10-year whiskey, nor a bottled-in-bond whiskey, nor a single barrel whiskey. Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel starts off fairly sweet, which is nice for a change. After a few minutes, there is a lingering dryness that leaves my mouth dry and puckered. The other was also a Heaven Hill distillery product, Parkers Heritage Collection. Its everything youd expect in a bourbon, really. Either way, lets find out of this single barrel bourbon brings the goods and redeems itself in this Henry McKenna 10 Year Review. The smells and tastes were absolutely dominated by alcohol, to the point that I questioned if I was losing my mind. Big news out of France, as a big name goes it alone and blind tasting is called into question. While we wouldnt want to try saying that five times fast, theres a lot to consider there. The nose, is one of the best noses we have smelt on any bourbon here at The House of whisky and the whisky is truly sublime too, with lovely vanilla, toasted marshmallow and subtle spices coming through and lingering.Incredibly smooth with typical oakiness and, bourbon goodness. Rate Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey, Not sure if I had a bad batch but the bottle I purchased was awful. Swirling brings out more hefty nuttiness and roasted oak up front, followed by dense dark caramel, maple syrup, vanilla, dried apple, cinnamon, orange peel, cherry, and licorice. Please sign in or create a free account to . Now, it may not be quite as difficult to hunt as Blantons or other allocated whiskey, but its popularity typically has it flying off the shelf. A Bourbon delight. I know theyre out there because my experiences from other barrels were good. For a long while, Henry McKenna was a fairly obscure brand of bourbon in the Heaven Hill empire. He focuses on good, clean flavor distilled above 190 proof. Henry McKenna's color is beautiful. Chewing gives me nutty caramel, vanilla, apple, roasted oak, cinnamon, cherry, orange, peach, pineapple, licorice, and a little cocoa powder and pineapple. After emigrating to the U.S., McKenna settled in Kentucky in 1855. Regardless, both lines are Buzzard's Roost Char #1 Straight Bourbon Whiskey: Even better, it doesnt smell flat at all, which was one of my critiques of Rebel Yell 10 Year. Despite 10 years in the barrel, its anything but over-oaked, though the oak is present from nose to finish affirming the barrels role in this bourbons maturation. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (theyre the best):Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4,Set of 2,or just one. The upside is that this Henry McKenna 10 Year Bottled in Bond has more body and viscosity. How Long Does Baileys (And Other Cream Liqueurs) Last? Customer Favourites Despite its slightly imposing personality, it shows character and never steps over the line. While the 2011 expression is still bursting with spice aromas, the 2019 feels almost dead by comparison. Caramel and honey mix with spice in a lot of great ways. Please read this important information before scrolling down to confirm that you understand the information contained using the tick box at the foot of this window, which will then allow you to access the website. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon. Henry McKennas color is beautiful. The alcohol shockingly disappears in the aftertaste. Just by dropping the single barrel designation, for instance, we get an extra 3 percent out of the supply., You dont really need to wait 10 years for this kind of flavor, ODriscoll explained, and once you lose the Bottled-in-Bond designation, source some of it from outside of Kentucky, and use just a little blending whiskey, youre getting pretty much the same flavor, but nearly 30 percent more supply.. Rum While I will give some credit for uniqueness based on the fact that its a 10 year age stated BiB single barrel bourbon, I cannot say that those traits result in a unique flavor profile and as a result, carry less weight for me in this category than they might otherwise. A function of single barrel selection no doubt, I still feel each was a great value for the price. Drinking this makes me feel like Im inBizzaro World where younger whiskeys taste mature, (such as Old Lines Cask Strength American Single Malt), and the older ones taste new and raw. Required fields are marked *. Some online retailers keep Henry McKenna 10YR Single Barrel readily in stock. If you buy several bottles (of this or others) you can save a lot of money on shipping. Chewing makes it more roasty and oaky, followed by nuts, honey, vanilla, tingly sweet oak, smoke, licorice, and pineapple. Stored in bonded warehouse with duty and sales tax suspended. This is my first time buying a bottle (bottle 4772, barreled 12/27/07), and its been a while since I had drinking Henry McKenna 10 Year, so I have high expectations. Henry McKenna is produced in the same Bardstown, Ky., distillery that has created and acquired other well-regarded bourbon brands, including Elijah Craig, Larceny, and Evan Williams. You must be 21 or over to enter this website. Henry McKenna 10 Year instantly took a liking to Kentucky whiskey and set . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. And have seen 2 in different stores now since then. Composition: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% barley, Color: 1.5/2.0 on the color scale (auburn, polished mahogany), Price:$50 (MSRP, and what I happened to pay in Japan). Additionally, the BiB label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.Henry McKenna Single Barrel shares the same mashbill as many other Heaven Hill brands (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley). 2017 Copyright The Bourbon Review. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Kentucky, USA Avg Price (ex-tax) $ 79 / 750ml 4 from 116 User Ratings 90 / 100 from 7 Critic Reviews Critic tasting note: "One of the few remaining age-stated bourbons. Henry McKenna parent company Heaven Hill says theyre making changes to the label and designations of the award-winning Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon, starting today, April 1. Henry McKenna Carolina Panthers: B Points for being ambitious and paying a hefty price to move up to No. At the same time, this level of nuttiness is abnormal for Heaven Hill, so I was completely caught off guard the first time I drank it. Henry McKenna 10 Year In 1837, a young man from Ireland known for his remarkable whiskey-making skills, came to America with his family's whiskey recipe that had been passed down for generations. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon. I had seen the bottle in Whisky Advocate or some other publication that was discussing the comeback of bottled in bond products. The markups and limited availability are a whole different problem. Mashbill:78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, and 10% Rye. This bottle of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel is awful. There is no way that this barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel was aged for 10 years. Henry McKenna 10 Year Old. This sort of clever work and coverage! Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Right off the bat, let me say that this Henry McKenna 10 Year is very dark, like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon. Your review*document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a7e2b6e0b987c741b7f004c2e30dc98f" );document.getElementById("i3a7e97284").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Home Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon was named for Henry McKenna, the Irish outsider who adjusted his family's bourbon formula to work the grains he found in Kentucky. With the strong alcohol fumes, this truly does not smell like a 10-year old bourbon. So whats the hype about? Get the latest bourbon news to your inbox. He brought with him the generations-old family whiskey recipe, and established his distillery about 10 miles from the current distillery site owned by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky. All Rights reserved. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. But, I recognize that not everyone likes peanuts, so it depends on what you like and the barrel that you happen to get (and how nutty it is). A bottle of the hard-to-find Henry McKenna 10 Year Old, a single barrel bourbon bottled at 100 proof. 2014 - 2023 VinePair Inc. Made In NYC. Remember that every bottle can vary considerably, so this should hardly be taken as canon for either vintage. Who knows, maybe youll get lucky with your barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year. Sometimes that means being in the right place at the right time, and other times it means knowing someone who can tip you off. Im proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. The aftertaste is nondescript. The bourbon, which is made from a mash of primarily corn, is the only extra-aged bottled-in-bond single barrel bourbon available today. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I tried finding some and found that it isnt available in Maine. Entry is nicely sweet and intensely grainy; the midpalate is the high point as the taste profile expands to include semisweet flavors of caramel corn, toasted marshmallow, dried fruit and chocolate covered cherry. Pouring these two side by side reveals some immediate and startling differences. While I won this time (absolutely worth $50-60), I have no idea what you might get. Oh yes, theres dark roasted caramel, roasted peanut shells, dense honey-roasted peanut butter, roasted oak, cinnamon, dark cherry, cocoa powder, orange peel, and licorice. This is possibly one of the most over looked and under rated whiskeys around and this particular barrel is sure to convert any nonbeliever. The bottle being reviewed is from barrel number 2068 which was barreled on 02/07/05. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. [2022] - [The Whiskey Shelf] | All rights reserved. BrMate NOSR, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass 7oz (Matte Black), I know its weird to start a review like this, but the. Henry McKenna 10 Single Barrel is a bottled-in bond bourbon by Heaven Hill. Because of this, Heaven Hill is making some changes. Drum roll, please we're finally at the end of our search for the world's most wanted wines. At 10 years old and 50% ABV, youd expect this whiskey to pack a power punch, and while it does present solid oak and beautiful cinnamon spice, it does so with great finesse. One of the few remaining age-stated bourbons. Launched in mid-2021, this bourbon uses exactly the same mash bill, yeast, and filtration process as George Dickels Tennessee whiskey. One of, if not, the worst whiskey Ive ever had, 3.5* Its not complex, but rather a fine balance of traditional bourbon flavors with just the right amounts of oak, spice, and sweeter elements contrasting one another in harmony. In addition, single barrel bourbons are generally considered to be drawn from the honey barrels as they must be taken as is; distillers do not have the option to blend them into other barrels to achieve the desired end result. I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. Manage Cookies Accept & Continue. Remember, always be polite to ABC store employees. When Im almost finished with the glass, I smell a little more grass, but thats about it. Sure its an award winning bottle that has the ability to vaporize from shelves, but its also a ten year old bottled-in-bond single barrel product.