1792 Sweet Wheat Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, USA

Distiller Notes

1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is made from a mash of corn, rye and malted barley. While the use of corn in the bourbon's recipe adds classic notes of buttered bread, biscuits and roasted nuts, the heavy use of rye in the bourbon's mashbill yields a more complex and full-bodied whiskey.

After distillation, the bourbon is aged in new, American oak casks for a minimum of eight years in Warehouse Z on the distillery's estate in Bardstown, Kentucky. Warehouse Z is situated on the edge of a bluff and as a result, enjoys the intense heat and humidity that are ideal for maturing whiskey. "When it comes to barrel aging," says Ken Pierce, Barton 1792's master distiller, "it's just like real estate — location, location, location. That's why 1792 ages in Warehouse Z up there on the bluff." In addition, during the maturation process, Pierce samples each cask of bourbon as it rests to determine when the bourbon has reached its peak of maturity. "Quality in, quality out," says Pierce, who has over two decades of experience at the distillery.

Once the bourbon has matured for a minimum of eight years, it is brought to proof with water drawn from the Tom Moore spring. The iron-free, Kentucky limestone water — the same water used by Moore over a century ago when crafting his own whiskey — adds a subtle touch of complexity and depth to the bourbon.

1792 Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, which was named after the year that Kentucky achieved statehood in the United States, earned the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco Wine and Spirits Competition in 2011 and earned a score of 95 points — the same as Pappy Van Winkle's 23 Year Old Bourbon — at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2012.

"Hope you enjoy the taste as much as I do," says Pierce. Enjoy a great bourbon today!