DSR – TN – 012: Stillhouse Black Bourbon – 2022 Daytona 500 Limited Edition
Company/Distillery: Stillhouse Spirits Company
Location: Columbia, Tennessee
Mash Bill: Corn, Rye, and Barley
Age Statement: No Age Statement
Proof/ABV: 80 Proof/40% ABV
Purchase Price: $24.95 from the NC ABC in February 2022
Bottle Label Information:
Front Label
“Stillhouse”
“America’s Finest”
“2022 Daytona 500 Limited Edition”
“Black Bourbon”
“Official Bourbon of the Daytona 500”
“Blended Bourbon Whiskey Mellowed in Coffee Beans”
“Stillhouse Spirits Co. USA”
Back Label
“Stillhouse has elevated the genuine American craft of making spirits using our proprietary all-natural recipes and distilling mastery. Our Superior taste and remarkably smooth finish create the new standard for a great American classic.”
“Please enjoy responsibly”
“Produced & Bottled by Stillhouse Spirits Co. USA”
Distillery Background
Stillhouse Spirits Company
Stillhouse Spirits Company, located in Columbia, Tennessee, was founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Brad Beckerman. Prior to jumping into the whiskey business, Mr. Beckerman worked with his father to help launch the mega sportswear company, Starter. Beckerman would eventually decide to leave Starter and build a music merchandising company named TRUNK LTD., a national entertainment company. Live Nation would go on to acquire TRUNK LTD. from Beckerman and named him the Chief Creative Officer of the organization. Mr. Beckerman is a businessman who prides himself on developing companies that are both known for their market disruptions and fierce innovation within their given industry. Stillhouse Spirits Company was developed with this same goal in mind, to disrupt the status-quo ingrained in the whiskey industry.
Beckerman started out building Stillhouse Spirits Company as a producer of clear moonshine products specifically marketed to bars for use in an array of fashionable cocktails. Unfortunately the move was unsuccessfully leaving Beckerman heading back to the drawing board. In order to change the face of Stillhouse Spirits Company, Beckerman would develop a line of whiskies sold to the consume in stainless steel canisters – an unbreakable way to transport your favorite spirit to just about any event imaginable. In addition, Beckerman would partner with rapper G-Eazy who joined the team as an investor and Co-Creative Director.
Stillhouse Spirits Company is known for its signature red stainless steel canisters which come in a variety of different offerings including Stillhouse Originial Whiskey, Stillhouse Spiced Cherry Whiskey, Stillhouse Peach Tea Whiskey, and Stillhouse Apple Crisp Whiskey. In addition, Stillhouse produces its Classic Vodka in a white stainless steel canister and its Black Bourbon in a sleek black stainless steel canister.
Source: LA Business Journal – Still Style – Published January 24, 2019
Stillhouse Black Bourbon
Stillhouse Spirits Company launched its Black Bourbon product with the intention of creating waves within the bourbon whiskey industry. Black Bourbon, Stillhouse Spirits Company first collaboration with coffee lover G-Eazy, is “the first ever bourbon rested and mellowed in roasted small batch coffee beans” according to the company’s 2018 product launch press release. Black Bourbon uses a proprietary mash bill of corn, rye, barley, and limestone water. The bourbon is then blended and aged for roughly 2 years in charred new American oak barrels. Prior to bottling – or canning – the whiskey is first charcoal filtered before being rested upon roasted coffee beans.
Tasting Notes
Tasting Date/Vessel: March 29, 2022 – Neat in Glencairn Glass; Then over a cube of ice as the producer recommends this pour enjoyed cold.
Nose
Christian: From its stainless steel canister Stillhouse Black Bourbon exudes aromas of fresh corn with a morsel of oak stave. In my Glencairn glass this whiskey smells immature. A decent punch of ethanol is present early on. A gentle swirl allows a burst of freshly harvested corn and rye grain to permeate from the glass. Subtle notes of black cherry, fresh cut hay, and a sprinkling of honey. Over a cube of ice this whiskey really takes on a buttery corn aroma. Much of the ethanol has now dissipated really. There may be a note of light coffee present but it is so faint.
Mouth
Christian: The mouthfeel of this whiskey is a little oily and a bit unrefined feeling – a lot like the texture of legal moonshine products. Sweet corn inundates the tip of my tongue quickly. There is not a lot going on here – very similar in flavor profile to a new make whiskey, voided of overall flavor and character. A final sip allows for a semi-sweet taste of artificial vanilla extract, very light honey, and a trace of graham cracker. Adding Ice to this pour really doesn’t do much to change the overall taste or complexity. Corn, corn, and more corn is all that comes to mind.
Finish
Christian: I find the finish of Stillhouse’s Black Bourbon to have a short to medium finish, as would be expected in a 80-proof offering. A delayed but pungent hug wells up from deep in the chest and rises back towards the throat. Once again, corn is the chief characteristic present in the flavor profile. Every once in a while, it seems like a pinch of black cherry and coffee try and sneak in, but boy does it take some mental gymnastics to try and convince oneself that you are actually experiencing those additional flavors. The addition of the ice cube, as with most 80-proof entries, just takes the finish and snuffs it out. The whiskey does turn a bit more bitter with a resemblance of coffee and oak tannin.
Our Rating
Final Thoughts
Christian: It is no secret that Stillhouse Spirits Company has come on the scene wanting to kick traditional glass bottle packaging and marketing between the eyes and disrupt the norm with outside the box stainless steel “unbreakable” containers. Just view any handful of Youtube videos with Mr. Beckerman and you will quickly see that the bottle is what they are most proud of producing. The whiskey just misses the mark. Overall there isn’t an abundance of flavor on the palate and texturally the pour just seems unrefined. But I don’t find anything within this pour to be overly abrasive or off-putting – it’s just flat.
Truth be told, I bought this bottle for the packaging and the reference to the Daytona 500. The 2022 Daytona 500 was my first Daytona race and I thought that the packaging would serve as a good souvenir for me to remember my experience while also giving Rickhouse Ramblings another whiskey to review. With that in mind, I have no regrets in purchasing this offering from Stillhouse Spirits Company – it is serving its intended purpose for me. Am I likely to purchase another can? Probably not.
Rating: 2.25 Rickhouses
Gallery
Rickhouse Ramblings would like to thank Joseph Timmons of J & M Photography, LLC of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for helping us bring our vision for this photo shoot to reality. Check out more of Joseph’s work at www.jmphotographywork.com/ and follow on Facebook at J & M Photography.
