Product description
Bourbon Blade and Bow debuted in Diageo's portfolio in 2015 and was the group's nod to Stitzel-Weller Distillery, which produced excellent bourbons including Pappy Van Winkle.
The distillery closed in 1992 and was soon bought by United Distillers (Diageo’s previous incarnations), but it reopened in 2014, more as a tourist attraction than a distillery. The name Blade and Bow refers to the five keys once attached to the distillery door, symbolizing the five elements of whiskey production—grain, yeast, fermentation, distillation, and maturation. Blade and Bow is produced using the solera method, using what Diageo says is a small batch of original Stitzel-Weller bourbon. This is blended with younger bourbons from other producers. In the solera system, the barrels are never fully emptied.
Nose: mild, peaches, apricots, banana cake, honey, brown sugar, milk fudge, notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and oak.
Palate: fruity, apricots, plums, raisins and sultanas, granola bar, caramel, vanilla, white pepper, nutmeg and toasted oak.
Finish: medium long, with notes of caramel, vanilla, dried fruit, cinnamon, pepper, a bit of leather and oak.