Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Bourbon Review
By Father John Rayls
Rating: A
(Credit: John Rayls)
In 1837, a young Irishman named Henry McKenna completed his immigration to America by settling near Fairfield, Kentucky. He brought with him the generations-old family whiskey recipe, and established his distillery about 10 miles from the current distillery site owned by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky. McKenna put his personal knowledge of whiskey to work to make an outstanding example of barrel aged bourbon, long before the barrel was taken for granted as an expected part of the process.
Fighting Cock, Elijah Craig and Evan Williams share the same mash bill with Henry McKenna, which is to say it’s their rye rather than wheated mash bill, but there really is something special about this particular spin on their staple Kentucky Straight Bourbon recipe. This is a 100 proof, 10 year old, and Bottled in Bond to, in my opinion, a nearly perfect example of what most bourbon can be. It’s flavorful, aromatic, beautiful to look at and potent. Did I mention economical too? It really covers all the bases and does it very well.
The Bourbon
The looks begin with a beautiful bottle, including personally marked labels detailing the barrel number and the date barreled, filled with a brownish copper whiskey with brass highlights I always like those special, personal touches. The label has an old appearance to it, nodding to the distillery establishment in 1855.
It has the same inviting look in the glass. The legs are long and lasting. The bourbon creates the notion that it is a light syrup or some thin honey waiting to be consumed.
I have to say that this is a favored whiskey to nose. It’s a complex experience with multiple levels. The first level is moderate with oak and oatmeal, but the next levels bring the spice with some slight burn. The spice may actually be the source of the burn rather than the high alcohol content. A sweet cinnamon aroma seems to drive the nose, but the oak is always present with notes of fresh fruit, vanilla and butterscotch. There are multiple waves on the nose if you patiently wait for them.
The taste begins with a luxurious mouth-feel. It’s a beautiful light coating of the mouth and tongue. Most of the action stays directly on the tongue, but you get some significant action on the roof of the mouth as well, and it all stays in the mouth rather than moving to the throat or chest.
The taste is filled with oak, burnt sugar/toffee and vanilla, and it’s something you shouldn’t rush. It’s just too delicious. The cinnamon stays in the background initially and then leads directly to the finish in force. The finish is long and spicy. As good as the rest of this experience really is, the finish may be the best part. It only reluctantly eventually fades away after a long, long satisfying experience.
Make no mistake, this is a really good bourbon. More than that, McKenna 10 Year Old has become my new winner in the “bang for the buck” competition.
The Price
Expect to pay somewhere between $25.00 and $35.00 online for Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey.
Agreed…this definitely took the sting out of losing EC 12yo. My bottle has a complex “mustiness” that I’m a huge fan of. It is definitely a sip and savor pour. I’m not a big fan of Evan Williams’ standard expressions, but both their readily available Bottled in Bonds are top-notch.
Also agree…highly. I can’t get this in the People’s Republic of Pennsylvania, but it’s always under $30 in Virginia, where my daughter lives. An excellent alternative to the over-hyped limited editions that can no longer be found on the shelf.
Again, Heaven Hill comes to the rescue of the average bourbon drinker willing to look below the top shelf. Gonna open my last bottle right now…
It is available in Pennsylvania. You might need to transfer it to a store near you via UPS. The product code is 49054
Its availabe in PA at some of the better Fine Wine and Good Spirits locations. About $30
For $30, you just can’t beat this bourbon. I can happily put a glass in hand and sip away.
$40 around here 🙁
People are ridiculous when it comes to “what the price should be”. Total foolishness. $30??? Really? State minimum in NJ for this bottle is $34.09, that is if a store wants to sell it for zero profit.
I’m glad I found some like minded individuals! This is a magnificent bourbon, and I’m a snobby bourbon drinker. Kentucky should be proud.
One of the best especially for the price. . Can’t go wrong.
Terrific website, btw; lots of good words and info; Thanks.
A bourbon that will introduce more complex character to new drinkers. It is a great daily drinker for experienced bourbon heads as well. Imagine, a bourbon with a 10 year age statement that is 100 proof and somewhat available everywhere. Even the bottle and labels are classy. My only fear is that the general public will catch on and this bourbon wil skyrocket in price beyond the $30 – $40 I am used to. Also, I can see the day when like all bourbons the age statement is removed. When they start selling a former 10 year old as a 4 or 6 I am out.
McKenna single 10 beats Pappy, which is a slightly average bourbon and that is as far as Pappy goes. Pappy is overpriced and tightly held for demand, making a novice bourbon drinker covet it by name only. McKenna single 10 year old, sadly has Pappy beat. For the money and under the radar to the novice, McKenna is the real deal. Ask some one who really knows, (without the suburban dad, cigar smoking crowd). Buy some and you tell me.
Goes for $50/750 ml in NC, if you can find it
We update price information whenever we have the opportunity to add an addendum, update graphics or otherwise revisit a review.
Unfortunately this bottle has undergone extreme allocation 🙁 I found a bottle at my favorite retailer for $55 plus tax the other day in NJ. What used to be $45 and fairly regularly available (as recently as FY2019) has recently been drying up. Apparently something is amiss at the Heaven Hill distillery, and normal supply chain is encountering issues. I agree that this is one of the best bang-for-the-buck bourbons out there, and I surely hate to see it go the way of Eagle Rare 10 (yeah, another one of those highly allocated “regular” items), or worse yet, BTAC & Pappy. Looking at the bright side, perhaps I’m finding it harder to get a bottle because more people are buying them. The higher demand might be a good thing for the whisky world. I believe most everyone in the world is now recognizing/admitting that American Whiskey (with the “e”) is up there with the best of those Scotch Whisky.
Yes, the last time I saw a bottle of McKenna, just a few weeks ago, it was in the control cabinet and priced at $50. In the case of McKenna, though, I think the blame goes with writers like me singing it’s praises year after year. It was never a big brand item to begin with, so it wouldn’t take much demand pressure to make it scarce.
I always enjoy Fr John Rayls’s reviews, along with others on this site. I’m a recent (last year or so) convert from single malt Scotch snobbery. I still like Scotch but am realizing what I’ve been missing from American bourbon and rye. I’d love to try McKenna 10yo, but haven’t been able to grab a bottle here in Northern Virginia. I’ll keep trying though1
Wonderful bourbon. Now $70+ in Wyoming.