In 1872, the Stitzel brothers, Philip and Frederick, build a distillery in Louisville, Kentucky at 26th Street and Broadway. By 1892, Phil Hollenbach had purchased the distillery and changed the name to the Glencoe Distillery and created the brand “Fortuna”. The Glencoe Distillery made the brand up to Prohibition. The brand was revived after Prohibition when the Glencoe Distillery was rebuilt in Shively, Kentucky. Glencoe continued to sell the brand until they went out of business in the 1960s. 

Recently, Pablo Moix, (the man behind the Rare Character whiskeys), purchased the abandoned trademark and has revived this old brand. The packaging is very close to the old brand label and bottle. He has sourced some six year old Bourbon and bottled it at 102 proof. I recently received a bottle of Fortuna and Matt and I sat down and tasted it. Here are our tasting notes.

Fortuna Bourbon

Proof: 102

Age: Six Years Old

Nose:

  • Mike: It has a strong herbal note. Vanilla, cardamom spice plums, caramel, oak wood and that elusive herbal note dominates the nose.
  • Matt: Vanilla, cardamom spice, rose petals and oak wood.

Taste:

  • Mike: Vanilla, cardamom, plums and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the vanilla becomes a caramel and the plum flavor is enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and it brings out a rich, buttery caramel flavor.
  • Matt:  Vanilla and butterscotch with burnt peanut candy and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out  peanut butter and butterscotch notes. The pecan gave it the flavor of a Skor bar with toffee and spice.

Finish:

  • Mike: Medium long with oak and that elusive herbal note. The dried cranberry made the finish sweeter with oak and lingering caramel. The pecan made the finish very long with caramel and oak.
  • Matt: Medium long with oak and spicy cinnamon. The dried cranberry made the finish taste of cinnamon toast and oak. The pecan made the finish very long and spicy with cinnamon and oak.

I would pair this Bourbon with a cigar that is mild with vanilla and caramel notes in the smoke. I would reach for a Nat Sherman Metropolitan.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller