Rowan's Creek Straight Kentucky Bourbon / 50.05% / 0.7l

Rowan's Creek debuted in the mid-1990s as part of Kentucky Bourbon Distillers' Boutique Bourbon Collection.

Its name is a reference to the stream flowing near Willett Distillery, named after John Rowan, a senator from Bardstown, Kentucky. For a dozen or so years, Rowan's Creek was a 12-year-old bourbon, with recent editions coming to market without an age statement. It is not known which distillery is behind this brand, perhaps more than one, as the Kulsveen family, which owns Kentucky Bourbon Distillers, has access to the stocks of virtually every major whiskey producer in Kentucky. In 2011, Rowan's Creek won a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition.  

Nose : classic bourbon, caramel, vanilla, milk chocolate, apples, pears, raisins, notes of tobacco and leather and a handful of herbs from the garden.  

Palate: caramel, vanilla, walnuts, dried plums and cranberries, rye bread toast, pepper, nutmeg and some oak in the background.  

Finish : long and quite spicy, nutmeg, allspice, roasted nuts and dried fruit.