We love the Bourbons being produced by Bill McBrayer and his family. This bottle is a special edition honoring the 250th year since the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. Judge McBrayer was the son of a Revolutionary War veteran and the family wanted to honor the birth of our nation and the people who fought for our independence. The Bourbon was contract distilled for the McBrayer Family and is made with a mash bill of 88.4% Bloody Butcher Corn, 5.8% rye and 5.8% Malted Barley. It went into the barrel at 105 proof and is a blend of 5, 6 and 7 year old Bourbons. There were 4 barrels of five year old, 4 barrels of six year old and 3 barrels of seven year old Bourbon in the mix. They have 1776 bottles, numbered for sale and they also have some un-numbered bottles given out for samples. I was lucky enough to receive one of the sample bottles from Bill when he stopped by for a drink on my porch. Matt and I tasted it the other day and decided to make it our whiskey of the month for June 2026. Here are our tasting notes.
W.H. McBrayer 250th Special Edition Bourbon
Proof: 105
Age: Five Years Old
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, caramel, apples, apricots, cardamom and oak wood.
- Matt: Vanilla, caramel corn, apples, ginger and oak wood.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, caramel, apples, apricots, cardamom and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the caramel and apricots are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and dark chocolate and wild berries come forward.
- Matt: Caramel, powdered sugar, apples, ginger and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a cherry cordial candy note to the taste. The pecan made the apple a baked apple and added a note of chocolate.
Finish:
- Mike: Long with oak wood, caramel, apples and a hint of cardamom. The dried cranberry added a note of apricot fruit. The pecan made the finish very long with oak wood, chocolate, black pepper and lingering wild berry fruit.
- Matt: Long with oak wood and ginger. The dried cranberry added apples to the finish. The pecan added chocolate to the finish.
I would pair this fine Bourbon with a Padron 1926 Serie cigar. The rich vanilla and chocolate notes in the smoke would pair well with the sweet flavors of the Bourbon.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller