And we’re back with the second of our Round 1 Competitions. These were tasted in an order only known to my wife as another bit of obfuscation to hide what was being tasted. So Round 1 of the 2026 BourbonGuy.com Brackets continues with Division 1’s Number 3 seed, Yellowstone Select taking on Number 2 seed, 1792 Bourbon.
Yellowstone Select is the flagship product of the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, KY. This is the first time that a Yellowstone release has been in the contest. Prior to the brand, coming home to Limestone Branch, it certainly would have qualified. But then it got better and was priced out of range. And now because inflation is weird, it fits again. This bottle was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN for $29.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $2.00 per pour.
Their opponent is a bourbon that I have consumed more than my fair share of as we used to get a lot of barrel pick versions of it down at my local corner liquor store. 1792 Bourbon is produced by Sazerac at their aptly named Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown, KY. This bottle was purchased at Total Wine in Burnsville, MN for $25.99 for a 750 mL bottle or $1.73 per pour.
All of the competitions this year were tasted blind, and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all recorded before we knew which bourbon was which. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were tasted side by side and will have influenced the perception of one another.
Marble Iguana (1792)
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $1.73
Details: 46.85% ABV
Nose: Dusty oak, vanilla, baking spice, and caramel.
Mouth: Oak, allspice, citrus zest, cinnamon
Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. Notes of oak, cocoa nibs, and stewed apple.
Feral Teacup (Yellowstone Select)
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $2.00
Details: 46.5% ABV
Nose: Almond, vanilla, oak, and a hint of baking spice.
Mouth: Bitter almond, oak, dried grain, and baking spice.
Finish: Slightly medicinal and of medium length. Notes of mint, dried grains, and almond.
Thoughts:
Pre-Reveal Thoughts: Feral Teacup is showing a lot more grain in the mouth. Marble Iguana is spicier and shows more fruit. Both are decent pours, but I’m getting an odd finish on Feral Teacup, probably due to the influence of tasting head-to-head in a single sitting, but that’s the name of this game. I like Marble Iguana better due to the nicer experience on the finish and the abundance of dried grain notes on Feral Teacup.
Post-Reveal Thoughts: As always, it is fun to see how the bourbons compare in a head-to-head setting. I was a bit shocked that I was as hard on Yellowstone Select as I was, considering how much I like its limited edition brethren. Though as I say over and over, this is not intended to be a normal tasting. I’ve enjoyed many a Yellowstone pour over the years without thinking of dried grains or medicinal finishes and I expect I will again in the future. However, I do really enjoy 1792, so the outcome itself doesn’t really surprise me.
Winner: 1792 is advancing to round 2.
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