Black Button Apple Brandy Finished Single Barrel Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Five years ago, we reviewed a Port-finished single barrel bourbon from Rochester’s Black Button Distilling. That is still listed as the staple single barrel expression from Black Button, but it has since been joined by a cask strength version finished in Apple Brandy casks instead of the Port casks. The base is their four grain bourbon (60% corn, 20% wheat, 9% rye, 11% barley), aged for 2 or more years in predominately 15- and 30-gallon barrels, prior to the Apple Brandy finish. The bourbon is then bottled at 110 proof, not far removed from the entry proof of the whiskey, so this is a cask strength/entry proof bourbon, as well as a single barrel.

The Bourbon
A pour of this stuff has a light amber coloring in the glass. My take on the nose was it was a lot like a slice of warm apple pie if the crust had been made with pumpernickel flour. The flavor followed in much the same vein, but with a grainier character.

The Price
Although officially just $75, this is being gouged by most online retailers, who are offering this item for between $145 and $200 a bottle.