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Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon Whiskey is a wheated Bourbon with a few twists.

Corner Creek Distilling Company was founded in 1998 by Ted Kraut — a brand specialist and sales executive — and Eliot Levin — the former owner of Southern Beverage Journal. They started with a two-pronged strategy — contract distilling Bourbon to their specs from Willet in Bardstown and buying prime aging stock still in the barrel. This allowed them to control quality and taste with a deft hand. Business went well and the company was acquired by Espiritus in 2016, who is in turn owned by Bacardi. But their popular, single-product production strategy has remained unchanged, but their contract distilling probably has, with evidence that the original Spirits are now produced by Kentucky Artisan Distillers in Crestwood.

Corner Creek Reserve Bourbon Whiskey is unique in a few ways. First, the mash bill is listed as “wheat, corn, and rye.” This is interesting because it is a wheated Bourbon and lists no barley — which is used in most Bourbons and Rye Whiskies to jump-start fermentation. This has the effect of upping the toffee notes on the palate. The second unique thing is that it is delivered in a slope-shouldered punt bottle — the kind normally used for Wine. But the core of this Bourbon is tradition. It’s a blend of Bourbons aged a minimum of four years and a high proportion aged for eight years — all of it bottled at 44% ABV.

Smartass corner:
If you pick up a Wine of Liquor bottle and it has a deep dimple in the bottom, that’s a “punt.” When done correctly, it ensures that the bottle is stable when standing upright while delivering greater strength.

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