A Bourbon delight. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Henry McKenna Carolina Panthers: B Points for being ambitious and paying a hefty price to move up to No. Still, this experience further reinforces my belief that Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel is too variable to wholeheartedly recommend. It will also be dropping its designations for "Kentucky," "straight," and "bourbon." I wonder if this barrel came from lower in the warehouse, where there was less fluctuation in temperature and humidity, leading to less vigorous aging in the barrel. Sweetness, savory, and floral fragrances followed by brown sugar, fresh-baked rye bread, and malt. The aftertaste is nondescript. Aroma: Vanilla, caramel, oak, and a light herbaceous note. Most notable for being a 10 year old bottled in bond whiskey most bonded releases are considerably younger it was an outstanding value for what was in the bottle. Bourbon and chocolate make for a timeless combination. Theres vanilla and caramel blending in with a touch of sweetness. Then a friend pointed out your blog to me and I must say I am absolutely blown away by the level of understanding you demonstrated on the subject. Nose Some ethanol right up front which brings along some oak and caramel. Get the latest bourbon news to your inbox. I got into bourbon for the flavor and experiences associated with it. After emigrating to the U.S., McKenna settled in Kentucky in 1855. To give you the best search experience, we use cookies for remembering your search filters, personalizing content, and analyzing how the website is used. Aggressively woody and leathery on the nose, it certainly smells like some of the joys been sucked out of it. This is possibly one of the most over looked and under rated whiskeys around and this particular barrel is sure to convert any nonbeliever. Who knows, maybe youll get lucky with your barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year. Sometimes that means being in the right place at the right time, and other times it means knowing someone who can tip you off. Couple with the boom in demand for all bourbon, and the scarcity of bottles at a similar quality and price-point (and some awards), its getting harder and harder to track this bourbon down in NC ABC stores. I shall call it, Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Most notable for being a 10 year old bottled in bond whiskey most bonded releases are considerably younger it was an outstanding value for what was in the bottle. This barrel of Henry McKenna is a great showcase of many classic bourbon notes: caramel, cinnamon, oak, orange, clove, and kettle corn. The 2019 expression has more going on on the tongue than on the nose, but it remains restrained and tamped down, its notes of dark chocolate and cloves filtered through ample barrel char. The Alcohol in Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel immediately rushes my nose. The Henry McKenna brand has grown in popularity since the 10 year old bonded Bourbon was named a best buy a couple of years ago. DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, we receive a commission. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. A Bourbon delight. Unfortunately, I dont know why this particular barrel is so much better than the other one I had that was. Henry McKenna came to America in 1837 from Ireland and settled in Kentucky where he set out to create a better bourbon using his family's recipe. Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. Edit:As of 3/25/19, this also won best whiskey at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Visit our Advanced Search page where you can filter and find any of our ratings and reviews from the last 15 years. Bottled and stored with producer, excludes shipping and tariffs. Currently the most searched-for Bourbon on our database is Blanton's The Original Single Barrel People might say they want fine wine, but do they really want whiskey? The alcohol shockingly disappears in the aftertaste. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Sweetness, savory, and floral fragrances followed by brown sugar, fresh-baked rye bread, and malt. As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (theyre the best): Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon. Henry McKenna was born in Ireland in 1819. No need to buy a bottle, Kentucky, USA, Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Kentucky, USA. Well see you next yearif not sooner. Henry McKenna Single Barrel can be described as traditional; a quintessential bourbon flavor profile with the potential for subtle hints of magic if you happen to find a special barrel. While this bourbon probably wont blow anyones mind, youd be hard-pressed to find a bourbon enthusiast who couldnt find something to like with it. McKennas passion for aging his whiskey longer than the competition was so evident that his name became associated with a congressional bill. A new generation of drinkers is breathing new life into America's native spirit but who is winning? Stored in bonded warehouse with duty and sales tax suspended. Lets see what the fuss is all about. Young Mr. McKenna settled in Kentucky and discovered the uniquely American drink known as Bourbon. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. It has a satisfying mouthfeel and the 100 proof plays perfectly, providing just the right amount of burn without overdoing it. This is a slightly older bottling (with a twist cap not synthetic cork) that I found in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Be the first to review Henry McKenna 10 Year Old. They felt that a higher-priced, rarer whiskey should have taken home the prize. A friend gave me a 2019-released bottle and I felt the time was right to compare it against a 2011 bottling thats been kicking around here for years. Required fields are marked *. Additionally, the BiB label must clearly identify the distillery where it was distilled and where it was bottled, if different.Henry McKenna Single Barrel shares the same mashbill as many other Heaven Hill brands (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% malted barley). H enry McKenna 10 year represents a lot of things in the whiskey world. Theres plenty of roasted oak that definitely makes this tastes like its at least 10 years old. Caramel and vanilla, with roasted pine nuts and spice, and a slight hint of strawberry lead to a long and savory finish. B / $70 / heavenhilldistillery.com[BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. this bottle of the hard-to-find Henry McKenna 10 Year Old is a single barrel bourbon bottled at 100 proof with an abv of 50%. This smells like moonshine, but without the sweet and slightly sour smell of mashed corn. You must be 21 or over to enter this website. At 10 years old and 50% ABV, youd expect this whiskey to pack a power punch, and while it does present solid oak and beautiful cinnamon spice, it does so with great finesse. Manage Cookies Accept & Continue. In the 1800s, most distillers whitewashed their fermentation tubs. Henry McKenna is produced in the same Bardstown, Ky., distillery that has created and acquired other well-regarded bourbon brands, including Elijah Craig, Larceny, and Evan Williams. McKenna opted to scrub them down and sterilize them with boiling water before starting on a new batch. Even better, it doesnt smell flat at all, which was one of my critiques of Rebel Yell 10 Year. One of, if not, the worst whiskey Ive ever had, 3.5* Please enter your username or email address. The other was also a Heaven Hill distillery product, Parkers Heritage Collection. Please read this important information before scrolling down to confirm that you understand the information contained using the tick box at the foot of this window, which will then allow you to access the website. If there is anyone still left unsatisfied, a $30 price tag should help lift their spirits. And then all hell broke loose. Balance is the point of this sipper. Taste: Smooth oak, sharp spices, honey, and sweetness. With our dedicated team, weare here to help you make informed decisions about choosing the right whisky for you to drink. Named in honor of Wild Turkeys father-son duo, Jimmy and Eddie Russell, this bourbon overdelivers on its price tag, offering affordably W. L. Weller 12 Year Old Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey: While the 2011 expression is still bursting with spice aromas, the 2019 feels almost dead by comparison. The smells and tastes were absolutely dominated by alcohol, to the point that I questioned if I was losing my mind. The bouquet features smells of new car leather, breakfast cereal, cornmeal, pepper and hemp. Its not complex, but rather a fine balance of traditional bourbon flavors with just the right amounts of oak, spice, and sweeter elements contrasting one another in harmony. It has all the stats of a very attractive and expensive bourbon, but with a surprisingly not so bad price (at MSRP at least). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. There are better barrels of Henry McKenna 10 Year out there to buy, but you never know what youre going to get. It feels hot and toasty, the focus clearly on the barrel over the spice notes, though some sweet raisin and brown sugar character manages to squeeze through on the back end. I've reviewed Henry McKenna bourbon before and even a prior 10 year-old Single Barrel bottled for K&L. This is a single barrel that you're not likely to see on shelves, not because it's rare or desirable but just because it's been sitting on my shelf since 2019. Henry McKenna came to America in 1837 from Ireland and settled in Kentucky where he set out to create a better bourbon using his familys recipe. It is the largest family-owned-and-operated distillery in the U.S., with a large collection of labels to show for it. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Henry McKennas color is beautiful. Stumbled across one last year for $35. George Dickel Bourbon Whisky Aged 8 Years: Henry McKenna Single Barrel offers a traditional and quintessential flavor profile that should appeal to nearly every bourbon enthusiast. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Their sales team is actively removing older bottles from shelves as we speak, and they say theyll be mixing recovered bottles into the new patent-pending vatting process for McKenna Award Winner. Drum roll, please we're finally at the end of our search for the world's most wanted wines. April 2 UpdateThank you for joining The Bourbon Review and Tito Belvedere for April Fools Day! Here's how. Traditional notes of caramel and vanilla play against a backdrop of seasoned oak. Today, Heaven Hill offers Henry McKenna Single Barrel which is aged for 10 years and satisfies the Bottled in Bond (BiB) requirements. Kentucky is a state in the central-eastern United States with a long history of alcohol production. Right off the bat, let me say that this Henry McKenna 10 Year is very dark, like Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Something went wrong. At the same time, this level of nuttiness is abnormal for Heaven Hill, so I was completely caught off guard the first time I drank it. With age statements dropping in waves from everyday bourbons, including the recent loss ofElijah Craig Small Batchs12 year age statement, McKennas front and center 10 year age statement sitting amongst other $30 bourbons now seems to stand out like never before. About 2021 Null Media LLC All Rights Reserved. Henry McKenna Single Barrel Changing Label, Dropping Designations. Drinking this makes me feel like Im inBizzaro World where younger whiskeys taste mature, (such as Old Lines Cask Strength American Single Malt), and the older ones taste new and raw. It does not store any personal data. Based on this bottle alone, I dont understand the acclaim. In American Whiskey, Is Heritage Everything? Henry McKenna 10 Year In 1837, a young man from Ireland known for his remarkable whiskey-making skills, came to America with his family's whiskey recipe that had been passed down for generations. Heaven Hill says bottles should be on shelves within the week. It was only the second bourbon ever to win the whiskey category. Review: Hiyo Sparking Social Tonic, Complete Lineup, The Best Grenadine Roundup 6 Brands Tasted, 1 Winner, The Best Ready-to-Drink Margarita: 11 Brands Tasted, Review: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Historic Barrel Entry, The Best Cherry Liqueur Roundup: 12 Bottles Tasted, 1 Winner, The Best Chocolate Liqueur Roundup 10 Bottles Tasted, 2 Winners. Henry McKenna has accumulated notoriety and awards over the years, making it something of a star child for the distillery. Its everything youd expect in a bourbon, really. Finally, being BiB results in a bottling proof of 100 which some consider an ideal proof and one that is higher than many other bourbons on the shelf for around $30. Essentially, this Heaven Hills answer to Blantons and (in some ways) Eagle Rare. In order to balance out the costs of the changes, Heaven Hill says the price for McKenna, which will now be known as McKenna Award Winner Whiskey, will be around $75 plus any state and local taxes. Its price has since dropped to around $75 after the San Francisco World Spirits Competition buzz died down. The Henry McKenna mash bill is 78 percent corn, 10 percent rye, and 12 percent malted barley. I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. Yes, this barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel is everything that I hoped it could be, so Im relieved. Concludes oaky sweet and chewy. Henry McKenna is aged two and a half times longer than the minimum, with the bottle proudly labeled as a 10-year-old, single-barrel, bottled-in-bond liquid. Drop-in your email address and we'll send you Drinkhacker's best reviews, most insightful features, and great extras like exclusive contests and giveaways, once a week. Oh no, this is not a good start from Henry McKenna 10 Year. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This is the. Direct from the producer, in-stock and available for sale at the price shown. When it comes to the technicals there are close comparisons at this price point, but none of them carry the combination of a 10 year age statement, single barrel, and BiB.While all this makes McKenna look like the class Valedictorian on paper, the question of value then becomes a subjective question of taste. The brands founder was born in Ireland in 1819. Scotch It tastes amazing with nice richness and density. Im proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese. 11 Things You Should Know About Henry McKenna | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/articles/ntk-henry-mckenna-bourbon-guide/, wbs_cat Spirit, wbs_type Bourbon, wbs_brand Henry McKenna, bourbon, history, need to know, The Cocktail College Podcast: How to Make the Perfect Manhattan | VinePair, https://vinepair.com/cocktail-college/complete-guide-manhattan-cocktail-recipe/, wbs_cat Spirit, wbs_type Whiskey, wbs_brand Knob Creek, cocktail, Cocktail College, manhattan, The VinePair Podcast. A veteran writer and journalist, he also operates Null Media, a bespoke content creation company. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Your email address will not be published. Look, McKenna bottled-in-bond is not at all a bad whiskey, but its less complex than it was 8 years prior or at least this barrel is. Henry McKenna 10 year represents a lot of things in the whiskey world. Since then, I was lucky enough to review an excellent, For a similar price (especially because now prices have gone up due to these awards), I instead recommend that you consider buying. Get the latest in beer, wine, and cocktail culture sent straight to your inbox. The problem is that theres no way to really know which barrels are good until you try themand hopefully dont waste $40-50 at this point. Limited availability. [2022] - [The Whiskey Shelf] | All rights reserved. Whats more, it was one of the least expensive in the competition, at only $35 per bottle. There is no way that this barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel was aged for 10 years. Review: Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old (2019), Review: Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old (2011), Review: Bakers Single Barrel Bourbon 7 Years Old and 13 Years Old (2019), Review: Michters Single Barrel Bourbon 10 Years Old 2019, Review: Wilderness Trail Single Barrel Bourbon Bottled in Bond 6 Years Old, The wait is finally over. 2014 - 2023 VinePair Inc. Made In NYC. As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for my reviews and comparisons (because theyre the best): Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon. Rate Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey, Not sure if I had a bad batch but the bottle I purchased was awful. As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (theyre the best):Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4,Set of 2,or just one. People snapped up McKenna like it was the nectar of the gods in part because the asking price at the time was $35. Notably spicy (especially cinnamon) and gripping on the palate the ten years in oak are not lost here. Once it won the Best in Show title, demand caused prices to rise to an average of $85 per bottle. Nestor Liquor, Blantons Single Barrel Bourbon 700ml Maybe one-dimensional is the wrong term, it specializes in those notes. Its that good. But second-round WR. It has all the stats of a very attractive and expensive bourbon, but with a surprisingly not so bad price (at MSRP at least). Henry Mckenna Single Barrel Aged 10 Years Bourbon Whiskey 100 Proof Bottled in Bond 750 ML Hard to find!In 1837, a young man from Ireland known for his . Prohibition hit distilleries hard, and Henry McKennas family never fully recovered after repeal. To find out your shipping cost , Please proceed to checkout. Disgruntled fans took to social media to air their fears and angers that their favorite brown would gain traction post-win and experience price hikes. Though it carries an MSRP of $30, it tends to range in price from $25-$35. When the glass is empty and only the heads are left on the side of the glass, I smell a little wood, pine, and honey sweetness with possibly some maple syrup. Price starts low and is sold to the highest bidder. Parkers Heritage Collection Promise of Hope, Bernheim Barrel Proof Original Wheat Whiskey (Batch A223), Jeptha Creed Red, White & Blue Straight Bourbon. On my second taste, there is a little more pumpernickel bread, wood, and some caramel and honey. Remember, always be polite to ABC store employees. What happened to Henry McKenna 10 yr bottle in bond I'm in the liquor business and our prices for Henry McKenna just double from last month with out any warning. of bourbon:it starts mature but gets younger over time. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon. Lost your password? 2017 Copyright The Bourbon Review. Nestor Liquors is a great online retailer that ships to NC, and they frequently have Henry McKenna Single Barrel in stock. I bought both. That said: Its surely not the best whiskey of 2019. The upside is that this Henry McKenna 10 Year Bottled in Bond has more body and viscosity. : (You can unsubscribe anytime). Henry McKenna 10 year - Review after 2 years open. Henry McKenna Bottled In Bond 10 Year Single Barrel 100 Proof This high proof, Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon was named for Henry McKenna, the Irish immigrant who adapted his family's whiskey recipe to work with the grains he found in Kentucky. Henry McKenna is aged two and a half times longer than the minimum, with the bottle proudly labeled as a 10-year-old, single-barrel, bottled-in-bond liquid. There is enough heat to provide a nice firm hug and enough flavor to keep the experience rolling. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. The alcohol unfortunately still overpowers much of the flavor its inescapable. The Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 holds that a bonded bourbon must be produced during one distilling season, distilled at one distillery, bottled at 100 proof, and aged at least four years in a federally bonded warehouse. I love what you guys are usually up too. Wine-Searcher's historical data and benchmark analysis provides trustworthy and valuable insights into likely market trends. Chicken Cock Double Oak Kentucky Whiskey Review, Press: Ingram River Aged Announces Major Operations Expansion and Relocation, Press: Makers Mark Wood Finishing Series 2023 Release: BEP, WhistlePig Beholden 21 Year Single Malt Review. Bourbons that are bottled-in-bond must adhere to a clear set of legal regulations. (A Julios Liquors exclusive.). Today, Heaven Hill offers Henry McKenna Single Barrel which is aged for 10 years and satisfies the Bottled in Bond (BiB) requirements. this bottle of the hard-to-find Henry McKenna 10 Year Old is a single barrel bourbon bottled at 100 proof with an abv of 50%. Its a hard line, and younger ready enough bourbon cannot simply be substituted to increase production, presumably compromising quality or desired flavor profile as corporate pressures compete with the skillful selection of barrels in the rickhouse. And then in 2019 it won Best Whiskey of the Year at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition. This is a highly-rated product for damn good reasons, and at the risk of adding to the hype, and subsequent lack of availability, were recommending you buy this any time you see it. While I will give some credit for uniqueness based on the fact that its a 10 year age stated BiB single barrel bourbon, I cannot say that those traits result in a unique flavor profile and as a result, carry less weight for me in this category than they might otherwise.