We're proud of the spirits we've crafted, and grateful the critics agree. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Please login or subscribe to PRO to view data from the last ten years. So checking almost every geeky bourbon box. Henry McKenna's color is beautiful. Theres caramel and a little mint spice from the rye, but still has too much alcohol. Henry McKenna is one of the longest aged Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys available today, resting in the barrel through 40 Kentucky seasons. Medium to long. 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. Despite 10 years in the barrel, its anything but over-oaked, though the oak is present from nose to finish affirming the barrels role in this bourbons maturation. While youre here, check out my subsequent review of another. VALUE: Henry McKenna 10 year has a SRP of $30 which is an absolute steal! Sweet and woody without astringency or acetone like Elijah Craig Small Batch, which I dont love. As it greets you at the door, it has a fair amount of heat and caramel that gives way to a bit. Mild pine. It all changed on that balmy Wednesday afternoon in Washington D.C. with the passage of the Bottle-in-Bond Act. Lets see what the fuss is all about. Visit our Advanced Search page where you can filter and find any of our ratings and reviews from the last 15 years. Unfortunately, McKennas relative value now seems so obvious that I can only assume it might be one of the next on the chopping block. I had a surprisingly hard time with finding a comparable bourbon to Henry McKenna. Contrast that with the 2011, which is lively with notes of licorice, cinnamon, and chocolate, all swirled into a froth that endures for a long while. Yikes, this particular barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon smells pretty bad. Its drinkable and not terribly unpleasant, but this should be so much more. 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. Heaven Hill Distillery has been perfecting the craft of distilling, aging, and selecting award-winning whiskeys for decades. Beating out every other whisky of any type this under the radar stalwart shot into the stratosphere of Bourbon circles everywhere. Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery Age:10 years ABV: 50% Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye & 12% barley Price: $30. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Kentucky, USA Avg Price (ex-tax) $ 80 / 750ml 4 from 114 User Ratings 90 / 100 from 7 Critic Reviews Critic tasting note: "One of the few remaining age-stated bourbons. Water isnt a bad idea here, especially if you feel the whiskey is too dry like I did. Spotted this in my local mom and pop store at $79 a bottle Usually they have some exotic and oddball stuff here at very fair prices Very glad I read this review, although when it comes to Bourbon over $50 I start thinking about what sort of single malt I can pick up in that price range Ardbeg 10, Craigellechie 13 (which is an extraordinary and unsung Speyside malt by the way) etc Thanks for the honest accounting on this! The only positive thing I can say is that its drinkable and that it didnt kill me. 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. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. It seems as its competitors are higher in price, lower in age or have a proof that is separated by at least 10 proof points. SOCIAL. Instead, I got a glass of oddball juice with a heavy resinous oak slant, a disastrous want of balancing sweetness, and a vaporous finish. Not a bad place to sit, little buddy. $59 99 $59.99. Henry McKenna is one of the longest aged Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys available . Henry McKenna Bottled-In-Bond 10 Year Bourbon 750ml. If there is anyone still left unsatisfied, a $30 price tag should help lift their spirits. The item you have chosen is in stock, and has inventory in our warehouse and one or more stores. Even worse, it doesnt fade away even after the bottled has aired out over a few weeks. What a whiskey. But this guy just keeps truckin' along. And then in 2019 it won Best Whiskey of the Year at the San Francisco International Spirits Competition. Its rye mashbill is given away with a strong sensation of cooling menthol moments later. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our Top 10 Most Memorable Whiskies of 2022 is now, These Experimental Rye Whiskey's from @smokewagonw, Like this song? Of, Indiana-based distillery Hard Truth is looking, Review: Woodford Reserve Masters Collection Historic Barrel Entry. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Er Henry McKenna 10 Year Old Bottled in Bond Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey (750ml) SKU #1133745 90-95 points Wine Enthusiast . Under $10 Under $20 . Remember that every bottle can vary considerably, so this should hardly be taken as canon for either vintage. 4 reviews. 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. Color: 1.5/2.0 on the color scale (auburn, polished mahogany) Price: $50 (MSRP, and what I happened to pay in Japan) From the company website: 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. That said: Its surely not the best whiskey of 2019. The whiskey is also single barrel, meaning each bottle comes from a separate aging barrel, and all of the barrels are aged . 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). This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Henry McKenna (10 year) Bottled in Bond Single Barrel, 750ml bottle, K&L Wines, Redwood City, CA $45, prior 10 year-old Single Barrel bottled for K&L, Dickel is accomplishing in the Bottled-in-Bond arena, Cocktails: Part One. Who knows, maybe youll get lucky with your barrel of Henry McKenna 10 Year. EH Taylor Single Barrel may have made the most sense, but at the moment, its $120+ secondary value are about 3 times what Henry McKenna is going for. He brought with him the generations-old family whiskey recipe, and established his distillery about 10 miles from the current distillery site owned by Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Kentucky. If you're not old enough to drink, then you're not old enough to read Breaking Bourbon. The bottle being reviewed is from barrel number 2068 which was barreled on 02/07/05. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Discover how our famed local water helps shape the flavor of American Whiskey. Henry McKenna is one of the longest aged Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys available today, resting in the barrel through 40 Kentucky seasons. Fine by me, this is a steal for people who care more about what's in the bottle and enjoying a good drink rather than those seeking only collectibles. There are better barrels of Henry McKenna 10 Year out there to buy, but you never know what youre going to get. Whether you're looking for a glass of your go-to whiskey or hunting for a rare bottle, we'll help you find a retailer, bar, or restaurant near you that stocks our products. Aged: 10 years. Get Drinkhacker's top stories, exclusive goodies, and more! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. It's ten years old, bottled-in-bond, single cask, 100-proof, old-school Kentucky bourbon from Heaven Hill and an incredible value by any measure. The Noobs Top 10 Cocktails, The Balvenie (15 year) Single Barrel Cask #201, ScotchNoob Recommends: The Glencairn Glass, ScotchNoob Recommends: The World Atlas of Whisky, ScotchNoob Recommends: Whisky Advocate Magazine, Book Review: The World Atlas of Whisky by Dave Broom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This means that Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bottled in Bond sits snugly next to 4 Roses Single Barrel, SAOS 8/9yr Single Barrel Picks and PHC:PoH. Add Case. 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. Henry McKenna 10 Single Barrel is a bottled-in bond bourbon by Heaven Hill. It tastes great, checks all the boxes, good richness, texture, lots of toasty spice, caramel, charred oak tones. Average mouth feel but it coats nicely and introduces no unpleasant burn. It will also be dropping its designations for "Kentucky," "straight," and "bourbon." We apologize for any inconvenience. The 50% ABV required for BIB is (in my opinion) a great drinking strength, and the BIB hoops requirements tend to lead to more of a quality mindset than a big batch mass production mindset in the producer. 1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Example: Jeffers Creek), 3 | Bad | Flawed (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything), 4 | Sub-par | Many things Id rather have (Tincup 10 year), 5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Larceny, Sazerac Rye), 6 | Very Good | Better than average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB), 7 | Great | Well above average (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique), 8 | Excellent | Exceptional (Michters Barrel Proof Rye, Four Roses Barrel Strength), 9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, 13 Year MGP or Canadian Rye), 10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (William Larue Weller), Posted on Published: October 30, 2020- Last updated: February 23, 2021, Four Roses Small Batch Limited Edition 2020 Review. EH Taylor Single Barrel may have made the most sense, but at the moment, it's $120+ secondary value are about 3 times what Henry McKenna is going for. LEARN MORE Also from heaven hill distillery ELIJAH CRAIG 18-YEAR-OLD SINGLE BARREL 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. There is also a strong, unpleasant metallic smell from the alcohol. Im not going to say Im disappointed, since in my house theres always a need for Old Fashioned fodder, but its not the bourbon I expected from the label. Then again, single barrel offerings can vary a lot, so the bottles for the San Francisco Spirits Competitions must have been the best ones that Heaven Hill had on hand, and not this terrible one. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. I've actually reviewed Henry McKenna whiskey before - specifically a 10 year-old single-barrel release from K&L from way back in 2013, which I enjoyed, and a 10 year BiB single barrel that I didn't as much. So what's up? Too inexpensivenot "cool" enough yet? It used to have a screw top for crying out loud. Nose:This nose is noticeably lighter and fruitier than Glass #1. Bardstown, KY 2023 Think Wisely. Alcohol mixes in and holds its weight against the other scents as you might expect for 100 proof. Its 10 year age statement and BiB designation should satisfy bourbon purists. Oh no, this is not a good start from Henry McKenna 10 Year. Benchmark. Then, in 2018, it won best bourbon at the San Francisco International Wine and Spirits Competition. This smells like moonshine, but without the sweet and slightly sour smell of mashed corn. In case you didnt bother to click on the links above, the short version is that the brand is Heaven Hill bourbon using the same mashbill as Elijah Craig and Evan Williams (75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley). Age stated 10 year old bottled in bond Kentucky Straight Bourbon is simply not being sold by anyone else. Amazingly light nose tickle considering the proof. The complexity and depth of bakers chocolate is also present while a tiny bit of cinnamon and oak add depth. While it doesn't have the smack you around power of its sibling the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, it offers so much supple and sumptuous sipping that it should be considered up there with Blanton's, Russell's and Four Roses as one of one of the pillars of single barrel goodness. Henry McKenna Single Barrel 10 Year Old Bourbon Whiskey Kentucky, USA. The Bottled-in-Bond Act was signed into lawand one of our favorite American Whiskey traditions was born. Henry McKenna's color is beautiful. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The finish is long and sweet without being cloying. Today, Heaven Hill offers Henry McKenna Single Barrel which is aged for 10 years and satisfies the Bottled in Bond (BiB) requirements. You can hold it up in sunset light and just enjoy the russet and amber hues reflecting. We're proud of the spirits we've crafted right here in the heart of Bourbon country. 6 BOTTLE CASE. A quick look at the scores that these were rating should hopefully quell any sense that these are absolutely bottles that you should go out and find right now. If youre on the move, thisGlencairn-like stainless steel snifter glassshould survive your travels and avoid shattered glass. Something went wrong. This high proof, Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon was named for Henry McKenna, the Irish immigrant who adapted his family's whiskey recipe to work the grains he found in Kentucky . McKenna 10 year is a 100 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. Palate:Sweet and savory salted caramel along with some musty peanuts. Starting this month, Henry McKenna Single Barrel will no longer be a 10-year whiskey, nor a bottled-in-bond whiskey, nor a single barrel whiskey. What a deal. The law mandated that any liquid bearing a tax stamp would have to be aged in a. Discover the story behind our Bernheim Distillery, the largest independent, family-owned Bourbon Distillery in the world. The aftertaste is nondescript. 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. Nose:The scent of Little Debby Nutty Bars. Chocolate, peanuts, vanilla wafers and caramel. By t8ke; Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources 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. Henry McKenna 10 Years Old Bottled in Bond, USA, Heaven Hill Distilleries, 0.75L . Heaven Hill Distillery. Im proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese. Finish:Cherry and oak spice combined with some pepper flakes remind me of a finish much like the kind in Buffalo Trace Products. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Pour Bourbon, and then add water. (10/10) Overall: 84/100 FINAL THOUGHTS: Henry McKenna 10 Year is a home run bourbon whiskey. (FM, Summer 2016). H enry McKenna 10 year represents a lot of things in the whiskey world. Add to cart "Close (esc)" Featured Special Collections. This is great stuff. It is smooth, rich, bold, and classic. Next up, we're diving into my bottle of Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel Bottled in Bond! This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Thanks for reading! With Water: Several drops of water initially mute the aroma, requiring a rest in the glass. An epic battle like the world has never seen! Score: 7. 6, Lost Lantern Ironroot Republic Texas Straight Bourbon, Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'scotchnoob_com-box-4','ezslot_4',134,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-scotchnoob_com-box-4-0'); Overall: A conundrum. 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. 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. Healthy dose of molasses, peanut brittle and caramel. While the days of us buying this whisky a pallet at a time are long gone, this deal offers a glimmer of hope that we might soon return to a world where the top name staples of yesteryear are once again readily available! The last bottle I bought (batch 8119) cost $44. I feel like I'm stealing when I can still get 10yr BIB bourbon at less than $30. Pouring these two side by side reveals some immediate and startling differences. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". The bouquet features smells of new car leather, breakfast cereal, cornmeal, pepper and hemp. A moderate tongue burn is followed by heavy dark notes of dark-roast coffee beans, resiny oak, bittersweet chocolate fudge, and toasted (even charred) nuts. Heaven Hill Distillery's Henry McKenna Single Barrel Bourbon was announced as the "Best in Show Whiskey" at the 2019 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Business, Economics, and Finance . . Peanuts and maple. Stir in a highball glass half filled with ice. 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. Keep up the very good works guys Ive included you guys to blogroll. 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. Palate: Thin body. Henry McKenna 10 Year Single Barrel starts off fairly sweet, which is nice for a change. In addition, single barrel bourbons are generally considered to be drawn from the honey barrels as they must be taken as is; distillers do not have the option to blend them into other barrels to achieve the desired end result. Then, a layer of dark red summer fruits and the tiniest hint of peach pokes through. Reviewed: Barrel #6219 (barreled on 2/2/2009). I dont think I would go much higher for that either. 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. Your email address is never shared. Henry McKenna Single Barrel offers a traditional and quintessential flavor profile that should appeal to nearly every bourbon enthusiast. The Whiskey: McKenna quickly disappeared from shelves, but its slowly made its way back and is widely available once again, though the price can easily stretch up to $100 or more. Whats all the fuss about? $79.99 $99.99. 100 proof. . Theres a little bit of wood, something bitter from the wood, and grass. Today I am looking at Barrel #4933 and Barrel #6101. I usually try to pick two (or three) bottles that share similar characteristics and see which one is superior. Christopher Null is the founder and editor in chief of Drinkhacker. Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.