Fans of the American whiskey, Bulleit Bourbon, which has become enormously popular here in the UK will be pleased to hear that Diageo Reserve has announced that they will be launching the Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year Old expression here in the UK next month.

While the outstanding original Bulleit Bourbon, which is very popular here in the UK, carries no age statement it is thought to be between 4 to 6 years old so it will be interesting to see what the extra 4 to 6 years of maturation adds to the Kentucky Straight Bourbon.

You may wonder why we do not see very many aged Bourbon whiskey's that have been aged 10 years plus, well there is a combination of reasons for this, such as Bourbon is matured in new oak wood which can have an immense impact on the whiskey, making it too oaky and dry after too many years in the barrel. But it is not that simple, how the whiskey turns out also depends very much on the mash bill, in the case of the Bulleit 10 year old, it has been produced with the high rye content of around 28% for which the brand is known. The final product is also very much influenced by where it was aged in the rack houses in Kentucky. Barrels that have aged on the lower floors of the rack houses will age very differently to barrels stored at the top of the rack house, this is because the surrounding atmospheric temperature has a big influence on the whiskey maturing in the barrel.

To cut a long story short, it takes more work to monitor the maturing whiskey and skilfully blend it, to turn out a quality well balanced aged bourbon whiskey which is not over oaked and displays the inherit character we already know for the brand but also displays an added maturity and finesse.

Bulleit is not the most complex of bourbons, but that is very much its quality it does what a bourbon is supposed to do and it does it very well. The Bulleit 10 year old was aged in charred American oak barrels for a minimum of ten years and bottled at 45.6% ABV. Bulleit say the whiskey offers a rich flavour that delivers a deep, smooth sipping experience, it delivers definitive aromas of rich toasted oak with hints of vanilla and dried fruits, providing a smooth and mellow finish of dry spice and caramel notes.

Read more at source Scotch Malt Whisky