Back in the 1820s, Sandford Duncan’s Linkumpinch Farm in Simpson County, Kentucky, was the place to hold duels in southern Kentucky. The area soon became known as the “Dueling Grounds.” Today it is also known as the home to the Dueling Grounds Racetrack, but recently it is also the home of an artisan distillery, The Dueling Grounds Distillery. They accordingly named their first Bourbon for the Linkumpinch Farm.
I like the fact that the distillery provides plenty of information about the whiskey on the label. The bottle I am tasting is from batch number 2, aged in a number 3 char barrel for 2 years and bottled at 100 proof. It was distilled and bottled by the Dueling Grounds Distillery of Simpson County, Kentucky. This is not a sourced whiskey. I like it. It is still young, but it has a very good flavor that will get better as they let their stocks mature. I am hoping that the fact that they chose to bottle it at 100 proof is an indication that they want to eventually have a Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon.
Linkumpinch Straight Bourbon
Proof: 100
Age: Two Years Old
Nose: Lots of corn and oak with some vanilla and a hint of black walnuts.
Taste: Corn, vanilla, sour cherries, black pepper and oak. When tasted with a dried cranberry the cherries come forward and the sweetness becomes caramel corn with a note of pepper. When tasted with a pecan in becomes full of butter caramel corn and pepper with no fruit.
Finish: Long and dry with oak and pepper. The cranberry reduces the pepper but strengthens the oak notes. The pecan made the finish very dry with lots of oak and pepper that took on a note of cayenne pepper.
I am pairing this Bourbon with an Opus X Angel’s Share cigar. I find the smoke to have barnyard notes of hay, rich tobacco and vanilla with a little cedar spiciness. The whiskey made the smoke taste of autumn leaves and other earthy notes that I really liked. The smoke made the whiskey taste of black walnuts and pepper spice with a little oak and vanilla. It was a very good pairing.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller
December 18, 2019 at 11:14 am
I was in the Bambi Bar with some friends last July for lunch. The salesmen came in put a bottle on the bar. I recognize him and asked for a taste. You have described it to the T. I really liked it. I didn’t catch it was 200 proof. I think I was just excited to try something new. A new Bourbon experience is fun. #Barrellife, #Bourbonexperience
December 18, 2019 at 4:16 pm
I am glad you liked the review. It is a brand I really like. I want to visit the distillery now.