This Upstart Whiskey Brand Just Dropped a New Blended Bourbon

Jonah Flicker
·2 min read
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15 Stars won two major awards at the New York Wine & Spirits Competition last summer: Its Sherry Cask Finished Bourbon took home Best Bourbon, and its First West Rye Whiskey was awarded the top honor of Best in Show. And now this non-distilling producer just announced the details of its latest release, a blend of bourbons sourced from three different states called First West Bourbon, and we have the details.

The brand, which is named in honor of Kentucky being the fifteenth state to join the Union, was founded by the father and son team of Rick and Ricky Johnson. As we previously reported, the pair is working with Bardstown Bourbon Company to make bourbon from heritage and heirloom corn that they use for their popcorn brand, Black Jewell. That whiskey won’t be ready for a few years, but in the meantime they are sourcing and blending whiskey, and clearly they are doing something right based on the results of last summer’s wins. The new First West Bourbon is a blend of bourbon—15-year-old from Kentucky, nine-year-old from Indiana, and seven-year-old from Tennessee (just 5 percent of the blend). It was bottled at 106 proof and official tasting notes describe brown sugar, toffee, rye spice, rich oak, and tobacco notes on the palate.

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This is not the only new release from 15 Stars. Just a few weeks ago, the brand launched Batch 2 of its award-winning First West Rye, a lend of straight rye whiskeys from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee aged for nine, seven, and six years and bottled at 105 proof. In addition to that, a new edition of 8&15 YO Private Stock Fine Aged Bourbon came out, a blend of Kentucky bourbons that includes one component that is a year older than what was in the previously released 7&15 Private Stock. “We were proud to have shared the 7&15 Year Private Stock in 2022, but this updated expression, with the extended aging, takes the complex blend of flavors to the next level,” said Ricky Johnson in a statement. “Being able to bottle the First West Rye again allows us to continue sipping and enjoying one of our favorite expressions from our portfolio.”

The new First West Bourbon is rolling out now at stores in a few select states, and can also be purchased online (SRP $140) from the 15 Stars website and Seelbachs (they still have bottles of the two aforementioned trophy winners). The new batches of First West Rye and Private Stock are also available to purchase now.

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