Kooper Sweetheart of the Rodeo Bourbon Review

By Douglas Fraser

Grade: C+

The Kooper Family Distillery is 100% family owned and operated, by Troy and Michelle Kooper, who have spent years making and blending whiskey in Ledbetter, Texas. Their blends can be found predominantly in the Lone Star State, but aren’t unknown elsewhere. Like many a small whiskey company, they started by blending sourced distillates before making their own, in their case from Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, and Illinois.

The Bourbon
Kooper Sweetheart of the Rodeo Bourbon is produced in Texas, and it sure does bring some heat. Kooper’s is also a blended bourbon made up of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, aged for an undisclosed amount of time in char #3 new ASBs. The bottle I had was from lot 1. Although a good bourbon, there really wasn’t anything special to it. Kooper Bourbon is bottled at 90 proof/45% ABV.

Color: Mellow Bronze

On the nose are aromas of honey, heavy caramel, shortbread, raisins, and charred oak. The palate starts mellow then turned into a rush of spice that coated the mouth with some nutty notes and hints of orange citrus and rye. The finish is long with continuing spice that dominates the flavors along with some oak and vanilla.

The Price
Kooper’s staple bourbon can be found for $40.