Butterscotch | Brown butter | Moist yellow cake | Brown sugar | Light cinnamon powder | Warm root beer

Caramel | Vanilla | Melted butterscotch | Rye spice | Baking spices

Baking spices | Dash of rye spice | Light caramel | Butterscotch hard candy | Oak | Short

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

For “The Caboose,” the company focuses on dedicating the releases  to the youngest child in a family, who anchors the familial 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.

This latest batch of Fathertime bourbon focuses more on classic flavors than on anything else. “The Caboose” opens with a pleasing aroma that brings about sweet scents, with butterscotch and warm root beer being instantly noticeable. The palate pulls in additional butterscotch along with spices, while the finish follows things up with the same cast of characters, as it wraps up the sip quickly. While this is a good showing from Fathertime Bourbon, for the price being asked, consumers may be expecting more from “The Caboose” from a pure drinkability standpoint. And those who typically seek out a higher proof point might just find it with its counterpart, “The Caboose: Empty Nester Strength.”