Plum | Black cherry | Raspberry | Cocoa powder | Cola | Crème brûlée 

Fruit cake | Raisin | Plum | Pecan | Sandalwood 

Charred oak | Molasses | Vanilla bean | Roasted corn | Leather | Light smoke | Earthy | Touch of spice

BlackFork Farms gets its name from its 400-acre ranch, BlackFork Land & Cattle Company, a sixth-generation family farm in far eastern South Dakota, 90 miles north of Sioux Falls, with the name representing the wild American Pronghorn and its forked black horns. The distillery uses a range of native varietals of South Dakota-grown corn - some smoke-dried - and distilled with a double-pot still. Gordon W. Legacy Series is the company’s premium brand and, according to the company, “represents the highest expression of the distiller’s art.” The 2025 release focuses on multiple oak barrel finishing. After aging, the bourbon is transferred to a series of toasted finishing casks: first American oak, then French oak, and finally Mongolian oak.

The bourbon has a noticeably juicy aroma that is filled with ripe fruits before transitioning to cocoa powder and cola, finally ending with sweet crème brûlée. The palate begins with layered fruit cake and raisin before sprinkling in pecan and sandalwood notes. This provides a bridge to the finish, which turns to rich charred oak, molasses, vanilla bean, roasted corn, and a touch of earthy smoke. 

Though Gordon W. Legacy Series Edition III has a high price tag, it is far from a carbon copy of anything on the market. Taking Blackfork Farms’ unique and robust tasting bourbon and having it undergo three types of radically different oak barrel finishes results in a beautifully layered bourbon. At 103 proof, there is a good deal of flavor present, and the bourbon naturally coats your tongue, providing an elegant mouthfeel. This works in its favor, as this isn’t a pushy tasting bourbon and has much more going on than you may pick up on at first sip. In a lot of ways, Gordon W. Legacy Series Edition III is a throwback style of bourbon that is less showy out of the gate and wants you to sit with it. The result is a bourbon that will reward those willing to take their time and explore what it has to offer.