Filmland Spirits combines a passion for movies with a love of American whiskey. The company is relatively new to the scene, with their initial launch of three whiskeys in September, 2022. They recently added a few new whiskeys to their portfolio, upping the proof on their rye release and introducing a limited edition 9 year old Kentucky bourbon. Filmland Spirits’ story for Town at the End of Tomorrow is as follows:

‍‍“By 2060, The Great Bourbon Boom led to whiskey shortages and civil conflict. To stem the tide of violence, the government passed the UnBonded Act outlawing spirits older than 2 years. New Bardstown is now the center of the whiskey universe and home to distillers Connor Cooper and his Cousin Emerald who long for the finely-aged good stuff. Together, they travel back through time to the birth of America’s native spirit - where they must confront their teetotaling forefather, Judge Barker, in an epic battle for the bourbon ages.”

The aroma leads with quintessential scents of caramel, vanilla, and aged oak. Cornbread and an underlying candy sweetness layer in, adding depth and taking it just outside of more traditional territory. It’s a light, approachable, and enjoyable introduction to the sip.

The sip is gentle yet rich and full-flavored. Like the aroma, caramel, vanilla, and aged oak set the base of flavors. They’re complemented by sweeter flavors of raspberry and butterscotch upfront. A savory cigar box note develops at the midpoint, which transitions to cinnamon and peppery oak on the backend. It’s well done and has a sophisticated feel to it, showing off its age but still keeping an underlying brightness to it.

Cinnamon and peppery oak spill over into the finish, which also sees a bit of butterscotch return. Brown sugar sweetness develops against the undulating spice, which makes for a long, really enjoyable sweet-spicy mix as the flavors. Like the rest of the sip, it’s well-executed, but at the same time understated in a good way.

I like the theming and attention to detail Filmland Spirits puts out with each of their releases. The labels are filled with information about the company along with the whiskey inside the bottle. The film theming, which (so far) has a 50s throwback sci-fi and monster movie feel, is certainly attention grabbing. While their initial releases hit the attention to detail mark, they were perfectly serviceable whiskeys but not necessarily memorable ones. This second round of releases changes that.

Town at the End of Tomorrow is a 9 year old Kentucky-sourced bourbon. The source is undisclosed, and the mashbill leaves room for guessing though Filmland Spirits’ story alludes to a Bardstown, Kentucky source (Filmland Spirits is located in Los Angeles, California). While barrel proof has become the status quo for many one-off releases, Filmland Spirits decided to proof this release down to 94. The decision to proof down works really well in this case, as the bourbon is a well-rounded sipping bourbon that still packs plenty of flavor.

Being a 9 year old 94 proof Kentucky distilled bourbon sets Town at the End of Tomorrow up against many bourbons with similar specifications. Elijah Craig Small Batch, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon are just a few of those that lay down similar stats. However, Town at the End of Tomorrow is just a bit more well-executed than each of those whiskeys and many of its other readily-available comparisons. The nuances might be slight, but in today’s world of seemingly infinite bourbon options, that can make a difference. Ultimately, Filmland Spirits' first higher aged bourbon is a crowd-pleaser, offering a traditional Kentucky bourbon base of flavors that are complemented by an array of additional, albeit subtle flavors that make for a well-executed sipping bourbon.

Coming in at $110, Town at the End of Tomorrow isn’t a budget bottle by any means. Budget conscious drinkers could easily compare this to releases from the Kentucky majors such as the aforementioned Elijah Craig, Russell’s Reserve 10 Year, or Buffalo Trace Bourbon, which all come in around the same age and proof, but are available for quite a bit less. At the same time, there are plenty that come in around the same price or higher such as Blue Run Reflection II ($100, no age statement), Kentucky Senator Bourbon John G. Carlisle ($120, 7 years old), and while it doesn’t originate from Kentucky, Heaven’s Door Decade Series ($120, 10 years old) is also a good comparison. There are also plenty of no age statement bourbons originating from MGP and bottled under a smorgasbord of labels that clock in at the $75+/- range.

Taking all of that into account, those looking for a bottle that’s a bit more finely-tuned who can afford the splurge and who find Filmland Spirits’ labeling interesting will find Town at the End of Tomorrow to be of fair value and worth the extra spend.

Drawing consumers’ attention in a growing sea of new bourbons and American whiskeys is becoming even more challenging. Filmland Spirits takes an approach that relies on eye-catching packaging and ties in fictional stories that highlight the company’s connection with and affinity for the film industry. Some might write this off as gimmicky, but if that’s what it takes to draw you into a well done bourbon, so be it. Inarguably, the bottle design and labels highlight strong attention to detail, and Town at the End of Tomorrow’s flavor profile comes together in a cohesive way that suggests that attention to detail doesn’t stop at the label design and marketing, instead permeating into the curation of the whiskeys themselves. This is a challenging endeavor, especially for a new company, but Town at the End of Tomorrow makes a strong case for it.