2018 Berry Bros. & Rudd Ironroot, Cask Ref. 506, Bourbon Whiskey, Texas, USA (61.2%)

Founded in 2014 by brothers Jonathan and Robert Likarish along with their inimitable mother Marcia, this Texan distillery uses the finest heirloom varietals of locally grown corn to produce a Bourbon with real character and integrity. The distillery is named in tribute to the local Thomas Munson’s phylloxera-resistant ‘iron-root’ grape vines.

This bombastic bourbon does everything a devotee of pot still whiskey could wish for, and then some! At full strength the palate is a tour de force of Bourbon; mashed banana, dark chocolate, fruit cake, spicy rye bread, and a little water shows real depth and subtlety too, bringing out gooseberry jam, tobacco and strawberry laces. The finish brings a final burst of oak, and a slight note of coffee. Bourbon doesn’t get much better.