Henry McKenna 10 year - Bottled in Bond Bourbon

I'd seen pictures of this Bourbon bouncing around the internet for a few months and when I saw a bottle in my local retail shop I had to give it a go.  I'll get to my notes in a minute, but first let me tell you what drew me to this bottle.  It's Bourbon, but also a single barrel and bottled in bond.  There are several requirements for bottled in bond bourbon, but a couple that stand out are that it must be bottled at 100 proof (I love higher proof whiskey) and aged at least four years.  An age statement.  In this age where every brand from trusted bourbons (I'm looking at you Elijah Craig - also a Heaven Hill product) to Scotch are starting to pull age statements to keep up with demand and to differentiate their products and new releases, this is aged ten years.  The Price.  Local retailers have it for around $27 though the SRP is $30. It's a good price for a really solid ten year old bourbon.

The original Henry McKenna brand was started by an Irish immigrant in 1855.  The brand has been sold through the years and in 1994 Heaven Hill began producing the Henry McKenna bottled in bond ten year bourbon.  It has the same mash bill as some other well known Heaven Hill products such as Evan Williams and Elijah Craig among others. 75% Corn/13% Rye/12% Barley.


Now let's get to what is in the bottle.

The color is dark amber.

The nose is full of sweet caramel, hazelnut, vanilla, oak and sweet corn.

The palate had some initial heat (100 proof, bottled in bond). The flavors are rich, with a thick mouth feel, lots of honey notes, caramel, medium woodiness, butterscotch and an oily texture near the back and sides of the palate.

The finish is medium to long with a honeyed throat lozenge character, oak wood, coffee and toffee.


I really appreciate this for what it is. The richness and sweeter character fits a niche on the bourbon shelf, especially at that price point.

More bottled in bond bourbon is coming on the market, but as I recently read, the category is still fairly limited.  One of my go to whiskies has always been the Evan Williams White Label bottled in bond.  it's only aged four years, but is great in most cocktails.  The wood and caramel shines and the proof stands up to mixing.  This bourbon is on a different level.  The Henry McKenna has that same wood and caramel, but everything is ramped up.  The Caramel is richer, it's spicier, there is more wood character, it's honeyed and the mouth feel is all that much better.

At this time, the Henry McKenna bottled in bond should be widely available and at a reasonable price.  If the flavor notes above fit the type of whiskey you enjoy, you owe it to yourself to find a bottle and give it a try.