Review: Town Branch Imperium MMXXV Bourbon

Town Branch Distillery makes a lot of whiskey that spans the spectrum of quite beloved to almost reviled, and with Imperium MMXXV (that’s 2025 in Roman numerals), the company attempts to add another top shelf whiskey to its arsenal.

Imperium MMXXV — the second Imperium release after MMXXIV in 2024 — draws from “Town Branch’s exclusive Imperium Bourbon Stocks, which include only the finest barrels from three of the distillery’s bourbon mashbills:”

Pot-still Kentucky bourbon: 72% corn / 15% rye / 13% malted barley
Column-still Kentucky bourbon: 72% corn / 15% rye / 13% malted barley
Column-still wheated bourbon: 70% corn / 22% wheat / 8% malted barley

This expression is composed from 50% of the wheated bourbon expression and 50% the other two stocks.

That may not sound like a lot of information, so here’s what Town Branch says about things:

Each barrel pulled from the rickhouse and arriving at production is evaluated for its highest purpose — base blending, single-barrel program or Imperium stocks. The tasting of these barrels is like a tryout — much like an athlete re-earning a place on the team each season. Only the best of the best makes the cut.

“This year we again set aside our favorite and most unique bourbon stocks, tasting them as many times as needed to ensure each barrel still deserves a place in the Imperium stockpile before blending,” says Dave Bob Gaspar, Head Blender. “After almost a year of tasting thousands of barrels and collecting the rarest ones, we narrowed it down to only 6 barrels for this very special, small batch bourbon.”

Good news, here’s a little more info on what’s in the bottle here, though it’s still missing proportions and still types.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (72C / 15R / 13B)
SN 3963 / Fill Date: February 17, 2017 (Aged 8 years, 6 months)
SN 4308 / Fill Date: February 7, 2017 (Aged 8 years, 6 months)
SN 15647 / Fill Date: April 1, 2019 (Aged 6 years, 5 months)
Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon Whiskey (70C / 22W / 8B)
SN 16368 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)
SN 16391 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)
SN 16394 / Fill Date: March 6, 2020 (Aged 5 years, 6 months)

Bottom line: This is a blend of 5 to 8 year old bourbon stock, a veritable cigar blend with a four-grain composition. Let’s taste.

Town Branch Imperium MMXXV Bourbon Review

So: Never mind all of that. This is a wild, bold, aggressive bourbon that certainly doesn’t connote the softness that a significantly wheated mashbill would suggest. The nose is huge with oak and lumberyard elements, quite smoky (or at least scorched). If nothing else, it comes across as far more mature than it actually is.

The palate has more fruit than you might expect given the aromatics: plum and cherry, both roasted over smoky embers. Insistent notes of cloves and dark chocolate find some nuance in hints of dill, all rumbling, smoldering leather and, eventually, hot tar on asphalt. Cigarette ash and anise inform a quite lengthy finish, studded with rosemary and smudged sage, though little hints of sweet honey and lemon curd provide some respite from the punch.

Looking for a big bourbon to sink your teeth into? Well, look no further.

105 proof.

B+ / $120

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