Honey | Warm caramel | Touch of oak | Baking spices

Bright caramel | Seasoned oak undertones | Brown sugar | Pie crust | Rye spice | Baking spices

Baking spices | Caramel | Toasted oak | Long

Fathertime Bourbon is a company and brand created by comedian Jim Gaffigan in partnership with his college friend and fellow Hoya, Stu Pollard. Launched in the spring of 2024, the brand sources bourbon from a handful of Kentucky distilleries and bottles it in Bardstown. Each batch is denoted with a name and a story from Gaffigan explaining why it displays the moniker it does.

This is the last of 5 releases in the series, with each one focusing on one of Gaffigan’s 5 children and released at two proof points (with the exception of the first): 92.8 and cask strength. “The Caboose” refers to the youngest child in a family who anchors the family unit. As the company states, “just like the last car of the train painted bright red, they stick out.” Having built a name for himself in comedy and now bourbon, Gaffigan not only dedicated this release to his youngest of five children, but he is also a caboose himself, being the youngest of six.

Fathertime Bourbons are curated by Gaffigan and Pollard, and so far have leaned into Gaffigan’s personal preference for the flavors typically found in high rye Kentucky bourbons. The Caboose Empty Nester Strength fits right into that mold, with warm caramel, brown sugar, oak undertones, and ample spice. If it had to be described in a single phrase, “it’s a solid, quintessential high rye Kentucky bourbon with a kick” would be accurate. In contrast with previous releases in the series, however, it has a bit more age on it, so oak is starting to show through, and there is less fruit compared to the previous edition in the series, Fourth & Long Empty Nester Strength.

Fathertime Bourbon releases are half bourbon and half storytelling. These aren’t bottles you just buy just to buy (they’re too expensive for that). They’re bottles you buy because you feel some connection to Gaffigan and the effort put into creating each one. Each batch is small and one-off, curated by Gaffigan, and designed with intent. The label is filled with Easter eggs that reference Gaffigan’s youngest child, and each bottle is signed by him personally. Talking with Gaffigan about this endeavor, it’s clear he fell down the bourbon enthusiast rabbit hole, and Fathertime Bourbon just happens to be the path his obsession has taken him. As a result, it’s been fun watching these one-off releases unfold, and it will be fun to see which direction the company veers in the future.