Well, here we are. For years I’ve told people not to fall for a pretty bottle. Do a little research and find out what people are saying about a bourbon before dropping their hard-earned money on an expensive bourbon. To not get caught up in the hype of a “Limit 1 per person” sign.
Yep, I’ve preached that for years, yet here we are. Looking at a photo of an oh-so-pretty bottle. In my defense, I’d just found a bottle of Elijah Craig 18-year-old, for pretty close to the suggested retail price, and, I guess, I was feeling a bit lucky that day. So I figured, “why not also take a flyer on something new?”
I backed up that bit of bravado with logic. “My wife likes to decorate with pretty whiskey bottles, so at the very least, I’d get that, right? Besides, I’ve heard of Chicken Cock, and I don’t remember hearing anything bad about it. If it was really bad, I’d have heard something, right?” Yep. A guy who can’t remember how long he’s been married or what his kid’s age is trusting his memory on a $60 bottle of whiskey. Of course, there is always the old “well, at least I’ll get a blog post out of it.”
And so here we are, still looking at that pretty bottle. So we might as well get on with this. What is Chicken Cock bourbon and did I make a $60 mistake?
Chicken Cock bourbon is the anchor bourbon expression for South Carolina’s Grain and Barrel Spirits. It is a revival of a pre-Prohibition brand. The company has put out quite a few expensive bottlings since reviving the brand, which is where I’d heard of them. In 2018, they signed on to be part of Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Collaborative Distilling Program. And in 2019 the expression we are looking at tonight was released. Here is what the company has to say about it:
Distilled, aged, and bottled in Kentucky, Chicken Cock Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey has a rich, elegant mahogany hue; a nose which balances oak tones with sweet notes of dried fruit, caramel, and vanilla; and a palate that opens with soft tannins. A creamy, almost buttery mouthfeel is complemented by butterscotch notes and toasted oak, resolving with a vanilla finish. At 90 proof, there is a slight, welcome bourbon heat. The bourbon is bottled in a replica of the Prohibition-era Chicken Cock bottle.
So, what about what’s inside that “replica of the Prohibition-era Chicken Cock bottle?”
Chicken Cock Bourbon
Purchase Info: $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Ace Spirits, Hopkins, MN
Price per Drink (50mL): $4.00
Details: 45% ABV. Bottled by Grain and Barrel Spirits.
Nose: Wintergreen, generic fruitiness, and generic baking spice.
Mouth: Thin and pretty gentle. Notes of caramel, wintergreen, delicate fruit, and baking spice.
Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of spearmint and fruit.
Thoughts: Fans of soft, delicate, minty bourbon will adore this one. I am not that person. It reminds me of a lesser version of Redbreast 12. It has a similar delicate fruit note to it. It's just not as refined or tasty as Redbreast. This is not a bad bourbon just an extremely underwhelming one. I'd probably give this a pass unless you just can't live without its admittedly cool bottle. The juice on the inside however is just meh.
But hey, at least I got a blog post out of it.
Did you enjoy this post? If so, maybe you’d like to buy me a cup of coffee in return. Go to ko-fi.com/bourbonguy to support. And thank you, BourbonGuy.com is solely supported via your generosity.
Of course, if you want to support BourbonGuy.com and get a little something back in return, you can always head over to BourbonGuyGifts.com and purchase some merch. I’ve made tasting journals, stickers, pins, posters, and more.