Rock Hill Farms is a single barrel Bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery. After the success of Blanton’s Single Barrel in the 1980s it was decided that at what is now Buffalo Trace that they would release other expressions of single barrel Bourbons. Rock Hill Farms, Hancock Reserve and Elmer T. Lee were the brands created to extend their portfolio of single barrel products. Rock Hill Farms is a single barrel and bottled at 100 proof, but not as a bonded whiskey. I have never heard a good reason why they did not make it a bonded product. The only thing that would be needed to add to the label is the DSP number of the distillery since it is the product of a single distillation.

For years Rock Hill Farms was not well advertised at it seemed that only people in Kentucky and on the Bourbon Forums knew about this gem of a Bourbon. It could easily be found on the shelves and at a reasonable price. With the growing Bourbon Boom the brand has become harder to find and more expensive.

Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel Bourbon

Proof: 100

Age: NAS

Nose: Vanilla and cherries with a bit of oak. Baking spices hide in the background with a little caramel or honey.

Taste: Caramel and fruit – cherries and dates, with a bit of baking spices – nutmeg and cinnamon and oak. When drank after eating a dried cranberry the sweet flavors come forward with caramel and berries on the palate. When drank after eating a pecan the fruit becomes more citrus and less sweet caramel and more cinnamon spice.

Finish: Dry oak and spice that lasts a long time. There are sweet undertones to the finish that balance the oak and spice nicely. The cranberries makes the finish less oak and more spice, cinnamon in particular but the fruity undertones are still there. The pecan makes the finish a little shorter and less intense.

Notes: This is an excellent Bourbon on its own or in a cocktail. Great spicy flavor that stands up to other flavors makes this an excellent choice with a meal or a cigar. Today I am enjoying it with a CLE Azabache.The smoke tames the spice in the Bourbon while the Bourbon brings out some vanilla tones in the cigar. A great pairing.

Photos Courtesy of Michael Veach