Chicken Cock 15 Year Old Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: A-

Charleston, South Carolina-based Grain & Barrel Spirits has added a middle aged, limited edition expression to their Chicken Cock whiskeys, the oldest bourbon yet for the brand. Chicken Cock was founded in 1856 in Paris, Kentucky, which today is known as the home of Hartfield & Co. and the last refuge of the blue-blooded, Bluegrass horse farm set. This 15 year old whiskey, the first of what will probably become a series of Master Distiller’s Picks, is bottled at a high 114 proof. The production run is just 1,350 bottles, and it is one of several sourced, middle aged bourbons to come out in recent years with a mash bill of 78.5% corn, 13%rye and 8.5% malted barley.

The Bourbon
Chicken Cock 15 had a deep red, middle amber look in the glass, and a nose that blends cinnamon graham crackers with a platter of cedar and oak, plus a touch of dill. A sip reveals a sweet bourbon, one build on a traditional foundation of brown sugar and vanilla, coming up with dried cherries and a dusting of spicy cinnamon. That cinnamon spiciness turns drier and (if you’ve ever had too much cinnamon, you’ll know what I mean) just a hair caustic, before fading off as it lingers on.

The Price
A bottle of Chicken Cock 15 Year Old should only set you back $300, and I say only because we all know how unscrupulous retailers can get with these things. I’ve seen it priced at $1,000 with certain online retailers, who frankly should be ashamed of themselves for demanding an over 200% mark-up.