15 Stars First West Explorer Baby Black Corn Bourbon Review

By Randall H. Borkus

Rating: B

In May 2026, 15 Stars announced the fourth release of its First West collection: First West Explorer. Joining First West Small Batch, First West Toasted Oak and First West Extra Aged, this new expression is a first consisting of 100% in-house distilled bourbon.

Theirs is an interesting story. Rick and his son Ricky Johnson owned the family Black Jewel Popcorn since 2011 and operated other businesses under the Johnson Ventures umbrella before launching First West in 2019. This father-son duo was less familiar with the whiskey business. Rick approached his son, then a college student, with a summer project to distill the corn they used for Black Jewell and make whiskey?“In the beginning, that was really what it was supposed to be—a cool project,” says Ricky.“I was a business student; it was going to be a great learning experience. But at the end of the summer, it turns out my business plan was compelling enough that we wanted to move forward with it.” That began the trajectory of 15 Stars.

First West Explorer debuts using the family’s proprietary baby black corn mash bill. The goal was to create a richer, complex flavor profile for First West Bourbon brand. This unique blend is classified as a four-grain bourbon, featuring rye, wheat and malted barley for three grains, and combining with both baby black and yellow corn.

First West Explorer is aged 5+ years and bottled at 95 proof.

The Bourbon
The Bourbon is a radian amber in my Glencairn glass. The nose is full of sweet vanilla candy, fresh cut tobacco with hints of sugared red currant. The mouthfeel is viscous with a cinnamon spice front palate leading to a juicy tropical fruit sweetness reminding me of white raisins dusted with powdered sugar, coconut and the essence of oak. The finish has an immediate dry citrus peel essence leading to a buttery vanilla sprinkled with red cinnamon.

The whiskey is good. I enjoyed it enough that I bought two backup bottles for when company visits. This black corn is special—there is something special here as this style of sweetness is new to my taste buds.  That said, for me the finish is where the youth of the whiskey shows up and falls a bit short. Overall, I really enjoy this Bourbon whiskey from 15 Stars.

The Price
The 15 Stars First West Explorer is available at select retailers nationwide and online at 15 Stars.com for $49.00 a bottle.