Does aging great bourbon take time? Most of us would agree and emphatically say yes but the question is how much time? This bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon up for review is definitely one of the youngest – aged for only 2-3 years! I can hear some of you asking “How can this be any good when major players like Jefferson’s are releasing bourbon aged for over 21 years”? My only answer, taste it.

I’m not stating that there aren’t amazing older Bourbons on the market, I’m just saying that we should continue to try some of these younger whiskeys from upstart craft distillers.

The Breckenridge Bourbon has been making quite a name for itself by winning various accolades including 1 of only 3 Gold’s handed out for Bourbon at the 2011 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Owner Bryan Nolt (a self proclaimed Rye and Barley Whisky fanatic) and Master Distiller Jordan Via (an instructor at the American Distilling institute) say the great taste comes from using a unique mash bill of 38% rye, 56% corn and 6% un-malted barley – mixing in Rocky Mountain snow-melt from the glaciers atop Mt. Quandary and a utilizing a traditional open-top Scottish fermenter  before distilling in a traditional copper pot still. They state that the snow-melt “provides pristine water with a unique ph balance which lends a distinctive flavor and texture”. Whatever the magic is they use to make this juice, I am a fan.

Parting Thoughts:

As you can already tell, I am really enjoying this Bourbon and it was a real hit at this month’s whiskey tasting against some quality whiskeys. I hate to beat the “price-drum” again but I felt like $45 bucks was a bit high considering I had to pay for shipping on top of that. Hopefully they continue to gain fans and can increase production a bit to bring the down the price. I’d also be VERY curious to see if they have any plans on experimenting with a longer aged product in the future. To learn a bit more about how this great Bourbon came to be, you can read a short version of Bryan’s manifesto here.