Review: Gentleman’s Cut Bourbon

If I said this whiskey was made in Kentucky by one Wardell Stephen Curry, you probably wouldn’t bat an eye. Some old timer, amirite? But if I clarified that that’s the full name of Golden State Warriors MVP Steph Curry, well, maybe you’d perk up a bit.

Gentleman’s Cut is another in a long line of celebribooze offerings, but it’s not without some amount of street cred. Made by the Boone County Distilling Co. (aka Game Changer Distillery), which makes its own eponymous whiskey line, this is a Kentucky straight bourbon made from a mash of 75% corn, 21% rye, and 4% barley, and aged five to seven years before bottling (though no formal age statement is offered). Note that while older Boone County whiskeys were sourced from MGP, this whiskey is entirely distilled in house.

Let’s see if Steph is at good at making whiskey as he is at hitting three-pointers.

Boldly toasty, this whiskey straddles the line between old school distilling and craft whiskeydom, with a ton of char up top that gives the nose a boldly peppery character. Well-toasted grains, burnt popcorn, and a bit of barbecue smoke evoke the frontier fairly clearly. The palate is fortunately a bit softer, with some graham cracker, honey, and light coconut notes all swirled into the equation. A slightly doughy body pairs fairly well with the more overt charry, peppery notes, tempering the underlying heat — but only to an extent. I suspected the whiskey might benefit from water and sure enough it only takes a couple of drops for things to coalesce. (I’d have released this at 86 proof instead of 90, but what do I know?) That tiny splash of water softens the harder, frontier-driven edges of the whiskey and makes room for a lighter slick of sandalwood, a bolder coconut character, and a lingering hazelnut quality on the finish.

After trying it again straight from the bottle, I wouldn’t drink it any other way.

90 proof.

B / $80 / gentlemanscutbourbon.com [BUY IT NOW FROM CASKERS]

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