Review: Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve Straight Bourbon

The Bear Fight brand got started with the launch of an elaborately finished American single malt, and recently owner Next Century Spirits has expanded the line to a second bottling, Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve Straight Bourbon, a (sourced) high-rye bourbon that is finished in reposado tequila casks.

No age statements or sourcing information, so let’s dig right in.

Bear Fight Kentucky Reserve Straight Bourbon Review

Spoiler: You will not miss the tequila finishing here, the whiskey offering a spicy nose that exudes notes of chocolate and cinnamon, then dark brown sugar. There’s plenty of peppery spice visible, to the point where you might ask whether this was some kind of tequila-whiskey blend. Just how “wet” were those finishing barrels, I wonder.

While the nose drips with tequila, the palate is a little more subtle. A little. Here, the doughy-peanutty quality of a rather young bourbon dominates — all the tequila in the world can’t wash that away. The underlying cinnamon and emerging notes of nutmeg and cloves do however complement this nutty attack, creating a dessert-like experience that works well with the chocolate notes present. In fact, without the finishing barrel this would be about as boring a whiskey as you could imagine. The finish is sweet and spicy, without coming across as saccharine or candylike. For a bourbon that’s been manipulated to this degree, that’s a bit of a feat.

As it stands, the price tag alone makes this an attractive buy, but the unique combination of whiskey and tequila works better here than I’ve seen in other iterations of this formula. Definitely not a daily sipper for me, but it’s unique enough to merit some level of consideration, especially for use in a bespoke cocktail.

90 proof.

B+ / $38 [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]

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