Carmel corn | Toasted nuts | Fried dough | Corn | Sweet with a noticeable roasted quality to it

Dark Cherry | Sandalwood | Roasted peanuts | Fruit cake | Burnt caramel | Leans sweet

Dried fruits | Leather | Nutty | Mince pie | Lasting roasted aftertaste

Starlight Distillery located in Borden, Indiana calls Huber’s Orchard & Winery home. The farm started in 1843 when Simon Huber settled it, and is now in the 7th generation of Hubers living and working on the farm. With over 600 acres to farm, Huber’s is a big operation growing a wide breadth of agriculture. Common in established farms is the practice of heirloom crops where a farmer preserves seeds that have been hand selected for the best flavor, passed down for generations. Bloody Butcher is one such variety of corn that Huber’s Farm has “maintained” over the years. While its name suggests something nefarious, it is called this due to its dark red and burnt orange patchy coloring.

Distilling using Bloody Butcher corn is less common than the typical white and yellow sweet corn most bourbons are distilled with. In the case of Starlight’s Bloody Butcher Bourbon, it is still sweet tasting with an apparent roasted quality to its flavor profile. It doesn’t go overboard and venture into smoked territory, instead maintaining a fine line of deep, robust, and roasted quality to its flavors. It maintains Starlight’s standard bourbon approachableness while adding a slight twist to it. Dark cherry is nicely complimented by sandalwood, roasted peanuts, burnt caramel, and fruit cake. Interestingly, during its finish, a note of mince pie develops. As unusual as mince pie is as a flavor note, it's a welcome one adding a complex mixture of spice, fruit, and meatiness. It might not be for everyone, Bloody Butcher Bourbon is careful not to go overboard in any one flavor note and maintains a good balance overall.