The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B-
Black Button Pre-Prohibition Bourbon
(Credit: Black Button Distilling)
Rochester’s Black Button Distilling has a foot in two different camps when it comes to bourbon. One foot is in the craft sector, where they have released a flagship four grain bourbon. The other harkens back to a older and more traditional time, when New York was one of the nation’s major whiskey-making states. This one is based on a high-corn mash bill that could come straight from Lynchburg or Tullahoma: 80% corn, 10% rye and 10% malted barley. Batches are aged for 4 or more years in 30-gallon barrels, and bottled at 92 proof. I caught up with Batch #3.
The Bourbon
A pour of this traditionally-styled bourbon has a darkened copper look in the glass. Sniffing at it yields toasted oat cookies, molasses and lemon zest, while the flavor runs to that same lemon zest, vanilla and mild cereals. The finish runs with lemon and herbs.
With a profile like that, I am quite curious about what yeast was used to ferment that distinctly Tennessee-ish mash.
The Bottle
This whiskey will run you $65 a bottle.
I participated in the special release distillery tour and tasting for this bottle back in December. The owner is a great guy and very transparent about the entire process and background of owning and running a distillery. The products they are producing at Black Button have such potential and its great to watch each year and see the progress in quality.