Graham cracker | Toasted oak | Baking spices | Hint of cherry

Honey | Bubble gum | Cotton candy | Seasoned oak | Raisin

Baking spices | Light tobacco | Raisin | Gentle fade

Sweetheart of the Rodeo Bourbon is Koopers Whiskey’s flagship product. The bourbon’s new label design was announced in July, though the product is ongoing. According to the company, “The redesign was created by Koopers Whiskey co-founder, master blender, and creative director Troy Kooper, an award-winning designer whose previous work for global brands including Nike, Netflix, HP, Hyundai, Comcast, the NBA, and Microsoft earned prestigious honors, including The Cannes Lions Awards, D&AD Yellow Pencils, Webby Awards, The One Show Awards, Clio Awards, and more.”

We last reviewed Sweetheart of the Rodeo Bourbon in 2020, and more than just the label has changed since then. That product wasn’t a blend; instead, it was made from just one mashbill of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley, aged for 4 years in Texas. Koopers still ages their barrels in their home state of Texas, but compared to the previous version of this bourbon, it has moved from single-source bourbon to a more refined blend, combining multiple bourbons from multiple states. Koopers’ website also states the bourbon was finished with French oak staves, though that is not included on the bourbon’s label.

While the foundation of Breaking Bourbon is about evaluating what’s inside the bottle, not the bottle’s label, a brand’s ability to get consumers’ attention with a particular label has become increasingly important as the market has been flooded with options. Kooper successfully accomplished that here, and exploring Koopers’ products reveals more attention-grabbing label artwork, with their Cognac Cask Finish Rye and Father’s Office Cigar Blend Bourbon featuring more striking artwork.

Label aside, the flavor profile is familiar but nuanced. It doesn’t taste like a “MGP bourbon,” which could be due to the percentage of Kentucky-sourced bourbon in the blend, aging in Texas, or likely both. It drinks with enough body and richness to sip neat, though it stays gentle throughout. Graham cracker, various forms of oak, caramel, and baking spices form the base, with subtle notes of cherry, honey, bubble gum, cotton candy, and raisin layered in. This makes for an overall mix that’s quite pleasant, albeit less unique-tasting than it might sound due to the subtle nature of the more unusual flavors. A multi-state blend, combined with a packaging update, makes Sweetheart of the Rodeo Bourbon a solid flagship bourbon with a dynamic crowd-pleasing flavor profile.