Cinnamon stick | Brown sugar | Tobacco | Stewed fruit | Rich

Raisin | Aged leather | Black pepper | Burnt caramel | Honey | Oak tannins | Savory

White pepper | Light cinnamon | Baking spices | Burnt brown sugar | Vanilla wafer

Safai Bourbon was created by Mike Safai, a co-founder of Rabbit Hole Distilling and founder of Safai Coffee. This inaugural release of Safai Bourbon includes two single barrels. The bourbon was distilled by New Riff Distillery using a mashbill that was originally intended to be a wheat beer, and includes honey-roasted malt. Barrels were aged at New Riff for 6 years, then moved to Left Bank Distilled Spirits in Louisville to age for an additional 2 years before bottling.

Safai Bourbon is a savory affair, doubling down on its mouth-gripping savory undertone. The bourbon delivers a rich mix of scents on the nose, with cinnamon stick and brown sugar being most prominent, complemented by tobacco and a grounding stewed fruit note. Raisin and aged leather come out first on the palate, with accents of black pepper, burnt caramel, and honey. Oak tannins define the otherwise savory undertone of the sip’s midpoint, with white pepper, light cinnamon, and baking spices striking first on the finish, followed by contrasting sweet notes of burnt brown sugar and vanilla wafer.

For this release, the distillate entered the barrel at 110 proof, which is lower than the legal maximum of 125, and while it increased in proof to 122 during maturation, it was decreased 10 proof points to 112 for bottling. Considering the popularity of barrel proof bourbons, especially single barrel barrel proof bourbons, the reduction in proof is an interesting choice. Overall Safai Bourbon is really well constructed, and while it offers ample sweet accents, it’s a decidedly savory bourbon. My only complaint about this bourbon is the price point, which is clearly setting the brand to be positioned as premium, and while the whisky is really good, it’s hard to justify its price.

The bourbon in review is from Barrel #2.