Pear | Baking spices | Caramel | Earthy base

Nutty undertone | Charred oak | Caramel | Light baking spices | Rich, earthy undertone

Slight spice | Leather | Brown sugar | Persistent earthy base | Medium length

Bluegrass Distillers is a grain-to-glass distillery located at the historic Elkwood Farm in Midway, Kentucky. The distillery was established in 2012, and has been building out their products under their Bluegrass Distillers and Elkwood Reserve brands. Bluegrass Distillers 7 Year High Rye Blue Corn Bourbon is a small batch bourbon and was introduced to the market alongside limited edition barrel proof single barrels. While the single barrels will be offered in select markets and as store picks, this small batch bottling will remain available year-round as a core offering from the brand.

I previously reviewed the distillery’s Blue Corn Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon in 2024, which was aged for 6.5 years and contained wheat as the secondary grain in the mashbill. Similar to that release, the blue corn grain in 7 Year High Rye Blue Corn Bourbon helps establish an earthy base that resonates from the beginning to the end of the sip. The earthiness is easily picked up on the aroma, which is accented by pear, baking spices, and caramel, then weaves its way through the sip. A noticeable richness develops on the palate, with a nutty undertone up front, mixed with charred oak, caramel, and light baking spices, which carry into the finish. Leather and brown sugar meet the whiskey’s persistent earthy base and then trail off with a medium length finish.

Earthy can be seen as a negative flavor note, but that is not the case here. Instead, it’s more of an essence – a grounded, rich, almost-but-not-quite nutty foundation that all the other flavors rest on. While it’s persistent, it is also not dominating, allowing the rest of the flavors to show through. Most importantly, it’s the factor I really enjoy about this bottle and what sets it apart, even if it is subtle. While more distilleries are experimenting with blue corn, the overall volume of blue corn bourbons remains small, and many releases are one-off. They can also be polarizing, but in this case the bourbon’s flavor profile remains within a widely approachable range. At $60, it makes Bluegrass Distillers 7 Year High Rye Blue Corn Bourbon worth seeking out.

‍The bourbon in review is bottle number 635 from batch 02.