Bulleit Straight Bourbon Frontier Whiskey 750ml

Bulleit Straight Bourbon is the flagship of the Frontier Whiskey range, and its defining trait is rye. Where a typical bourbon mash carries perhaps ten to fifteen percent of the grain, Bulleit runs 28 percent rye against 68 percent corn and 4 percent malted barley. That decision gives the 90 proof pour its signature character: a bourbon that opens sweet but finishes with the dry, peppery snap most drinkers associate with rye whiskey.

The recipe traces to Augustus Bulleit, a New Orleans tavern keeper who is said to have worked out a high-rye whiskey in the 1830s before vanishing while transporting barrels to market. His great-great-grandson Tom Bulleit left a law practice in 1987 to revive the family formula, and the bourbon is now distilled and aged in Kentucky under Diageo, matured in new charred American oak and charcoal filtered before bottling.

In the glass it shows a medium russet color with aromas of vanilla, honeyed corn and light baking spice. The palate is medium-bodied and clean, moving from maple and toasted oak sweetness into nutmeg, clove and that persistent rye pepper. The finish is crisp and dry rather than syrupy, which is exactly what the elevated rye percentage is there to do.

That dryness makes this one of the great utility bourbons behind a bar. It cuts cleanly through citrus in a Whiskey Sour, keeps a Manhattan from turning dessert-sweet and gives an Old Fashioned real backbone, while remaining an easy, affordable pour neat or over ice for anyone who likes spice in their bourbon.

• Size: 750ml
• Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
• Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Origin: Kentucky, USA
• Distillery: Bulleit Distilling Co. (Diageo)
• Style/Class: High-rye straight bourbon
• Composition: 68% corn, 28% rye, 4% malted barley
• Cask/Aging: Matured in new charred American oak barrels
• Tasting Notes: Vanilla, honeyed corn, maple, toasted oak, nutmeg, clove and a dry peppery rye finish