Blue Run set made a splash recently after being acquired by Coors Spirits Company.
And now the Georgetown, Kentucky-based whiskey puts its money where its mouth is with Trifecta, a triple age Kentucky straight bourbon, and Blue Run’s first release since the acquisition.
What's In The Bottle?
Blue Run Whiskey Director Shaylyn Gammon swings for the fences with this “triple age” bourbon, combining three different Kentucky Straights. The whiskey’s base comprises 46% 6-year old bourbon with a mashbill of 78% corn, 12% rye, and 10% malted barley. Thirty-two percent of the blend is 9-year-old bourbon with a recipe of 78% Yellow Corn, 10% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley, and the balance is 8-year-old high rye bourbon with 75% Yellow Corn, 21% Rye, 4% Malted Barley. The 8-and-9-year-old barrels chosen for this expression are what Gammon calls “wood heat,” meaning they were selected from the top areas of the rickhouse where the temperatures are the most extreme.
“These higher-proofed barrels extract more of the components of the wood from the barrel,” says Gammon. “These can contribute a particular wood intensity to the whiskey, which needs to be approached with a knowledgeable, restrained hand when blending.”
Trifecta is bottled at a near barrel proof of 117.1, and this limited run of about 16,000 bottles is available in retail and on the company’s website for $180.
“’Wood heat’ barrels are those that experienced the highest temperatures the warehouse has to offer due to their position at the top, forcing out the water molecules and concentrating the alcohol within the barrel.”
—Shaylyn Gammon, Blue Run Whiskey Director
How Does It Taste?
Company tasting notes promise a nose with brown butter, vanilla cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, and spicy pepper. The palate features cinnamon-spiced candied apple, baked bread, caramel, peppermint, and white chocolate. This complex sip is balanced with wood char, which turns to weathered oak and vanilla on the medium-length finish.
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