This Bourbon is a wheat recipe Bourbon from the McBrayer portfolio of Bourbons. Bill McBrayer dropped off a bottle of Cedar Brook the other day and we discussed the whiskey on the porch. It is a mixture of four and five year old wheat recipe Bourbon distilled in Owensboro, Kentucky. Five dollars from every bottle sold is going to help restore the railroad bridge over Cedar Brook. There is a walking path that passes through the historical site of the old McBrayer Distillery. Bill has purchased the land and plans to build a distillery on the site in the future. He wants to see the bridge restored as part of the walking path, that will lead through the McBrayer grounds and on to the Wild Turkey Distillery. This is a good cause. A walking path would be a unique part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

The Bourbon is available in stores now, but there are only about 2,000 bottles. Bill is increasing his inventory and hopes to have more available in the future. He has also set up a web page where you can donate to this cause and I encourage people to check it out. Matt and I sat down to taste this Bourbon the other day and here are our tasting notes.

Cedar Brook 2024 Release

Proof: 100

Age: No Age Statement

Nose:

  • Mike: Vanilla, baking spices, apples and oak wood.
  • Matt: Caramel, dates, nuttiness, oak wood.

Taste:

  • Mike: Vanilla, apples, nutmeg, allspice and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and pepper spice comes forward. Tasted with a pecan brings out caramel and oak, with a hint of apple and nutmeg.
  • Matt: Caramel, dates, a hint of citrus, maybe tangerine and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a hint of chocolate and dried fruits. The pecan made it sweet with chocolate, molasses, brown sugar, with nuts and oak wood.

Finish: 

  • Mike: Medium long with oak wood and baking spices. The dried cranberry made the finish long with oak and lots of pepper. The pecan made the finish long with oak and nutmeg spice.
  • Matt: Medium long with oak wood and lingering citrus. The cranberry added a note of chocolate to the finish. The pecan made the finish long with oak wood and brown sugar.

I would pair this fine Bourbon with a cigar that is rich in vanilla and chocolate in the smoke. I would reach for a My Father The Judge cigar.

Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller