Bourbon de Luxe Vintage Returns

It's hard to believe it's been a year and a half since the last Bourbon de Luxe Vintage release. Those 16-year-old batches were some of the most memorable releases we've offered from the brand, and while we've seen plenty of great Bourbon de Luxe whiskeys since, we've been looking forward to seeing the Vintage label return. Today it's back, this time with a 10-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon.

This latest release brings together three barrels of 10-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon, distilled in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, from a mash bill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. Bottled at cask strength, without chill filtration, and coming in at 108.6 proof, this new Vintage release yielded just 468 bottles.

The demand for Bourbon de Luxe has only continued to grow, and given the response to those previous Vintage releases (as well as the source on this one), we don't expect this to stick around long.

The nose is complex and softly perfumed, opening with the confectionery sweetness of glazed donuts, gently spiced cherry, and raspberry preserves. Tootsie Roll chocolate and dried black tea add depth before giving way to a kiss of orange simple syrup and sweet, elegant cedar.

The palate is layered and nuanced, with a gorgeous, gently syrupy honey note meeting fruit-forward oak. Beneath it all, orange soda concentrate adds a bright citrus lift, while a touch of rickhouse funk makes a brief appearance, almost like an Easter egg in an otherwise beautifully balanced profile. A soft, dusty almond nuttiness emerges mid-palate, with raspberry jam continuing to build and linger.

The finish is almost effervescent, with little pops of vibrant fruit and brown sugar sweetness before gradually settling into a softer, more mature oak character.

As independent bottlers, Rolling Fork Spirits has revived this 113-year-old bourbon brand that traces its roots back to the early 1900s. The brand survived Prohibition after being acquired by the R.E. Wathen Co. in 1926, and became part of the American Medicinal Spirits Co. portfolio in 1927. The return of Bourbon de Luxe in 2024 marks the revival of this historic brand, which follows the motto created by the Wathen family in 1788: No Finer Spirits Can Be Made.