Corn | Toasted caramel | Peppercorn mix | Leather | Traditional bourbon aromas

Sweet caramel | Hints of vanilla | Charred oak | Rye spice | Buttery mouthfeel

Rye spice | Dry oak | Leather | Peppercorn spice | Mild lingering heat | Everything but the heat fades nearly instantly

Bendt Distilling Company was founded in Lewisville, Texas in 2012. Sourcing local grains, distilling their own products, and of course aging in Texas hot summers has helped them produce unique tasting whiskeys. Their flagship product, Bendt No. 5, is a blend of five individual whiskeys all distilled, aged, and bottled on-site. For Unbendt Unblended Bottled in Bond Bourbon the company focuses on a traditional corn/rye/malted barley mashbill from Texas grains. More information can be found in the company’s press release.

Unbendt Unblended Bottled in Bond Bourbon is a traditional bourbon in every sense of the word. The sip opens with light aromas of classic bourbon scents. Subtle in nature, it delivers a well-balanced blend of sweet, spicy, and earthy notes all in one. The midpoint comes with a buttery mouthfeel that carries forward more of the same trio of sweet, spicy, and earthy flavors. The sip ends by dropping its sweet component and instead focuses on spicy and drier earthier notes which almost instantly drop off to focus on a mild lingering heat instead. Overall it’s a nice sip that never veers outside of the lines, though I would have liked to see the nose and finish step up to the same intensity as the palate. Its classic flavor notes lay a solid foundation, and I look forward to following the evolution of this bourbon.