Orange chocolate | Corn | Light baking spices | Hint of brown sugar | Light oak | Citrus rind | Lighter overall

Brown sugar | Light nougat | Orange rind | Dry charred oak | Leather | Touch of vanilla powder | Dried cherry | Oily mouthfeel

Rye spice | Bitter orange rind | Baking spices | Dry oak | Leather | Dry overall

15 Stars was started by father and son team Rick and Ricky Johnson, who bottle their whiskeys at Bardstown Bourbon Co. in Bardstown, Kentucky. Their whiskeys began hitting the market in 2022, and so far, have been relatively high-aged sourced whiskeys originating from an undisclosed distillery or multiple distilleries in Kentucky. The name “15 Stars'' originates from the fact that Kentucky was recognized as the 15th state on the second United States flag, which included 15 stars and 15 stripes. This history is called upon in various ways within the company’s marketing, including details such as the bottle stoppers, which are metal and resemble the first U.S. coinage containing 15 stars, engraved by the American artisan Robert Scot.

The company’s Vino De Naranja is a single barrel cask strength product that was produced by blending two 8 year old Kentucky bourbons and finishing them in a Vino De Naranja cask. Vino De Naranja is produced in Huelva and Málaga in Andalucia, Spain, and is a white wine created by resting white wine with orange peels. The bourbon opens with a lighter overall presence, with the Vino De Naranja casks infusing orange chocolate and citrus rind scents onto base layers of corn, baking spices, and oak. The midpoint brings with it the introduction of drier notes in the form of charred oak and leather. Orange rind is present again which helps contribute to a slightly oily mouthfeel overall. Ending on a bitter orange rind note, along with a mix of spice and drier notes, the combination produces a light dry heat which stays for a bit before transforming to just a dry flavor note.

Up until a few years ago, Vino De Naranja casks weren’t known as barrels used for finishing whiskey. That changed thanks to Heaven’s Door Bootleg Series Volume 3 and Penelope Valencia. Like those whiskeys, 15 Stars Vino De Naranja is clearly influenced by its finishing barrel, as orange notes are prominent throughout. In this case though, those flavor notes come across as more bitter rind notes. Because of its $140 price tag, this will be a bourbon that Vino De Naranja fans will expect a lot from, however it’s hard-pressed to meet those expectations.

The bottle in review is number 20.