Root beer candy | Honey | French vanilla | Barrel char | Light molasses

Cream soda | Vanilla | Graham cracker | Salt water taffy

Pecan | Root beer caramel candy | Sweet oak | Brown sugar | Touch of rye spice

503 Distilling didn’t directly set out to make bourbon but a better pre-mixed cocktail. Based in Portland, Oregon, hiking trips were a common occurrence for the founders of 503 Distilling, but taking all of the necessary ingredients to make an elevated cocktail when hiking doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, as the team developed their pre-made craft cocktail idea, the notion of also creating their own bourbon for their products came into view. Now, 5 years later, the company is releasing its first bottled bourbon as part of its Private Reserve launch.

The aroma is quite magical, featuring a root beer candy scent atop notes of honey, French vanilla ice cream, barrel char, and molasses. It’s a combination that evokes childlike nostalgia. The palate delivers complementary flavors of cream soda, vanilla, graham cracker, and salt water taffy. The finish returns the root berry candy from the aroma, injecting pecan, sweet oak, and brown sugar, and ending on a ramp-up of rye spice.  

Fans of sweet-tasting bourbon rejoice, as 503 Distilling Single Barrel Bourbon Private Reserve is a malt shop in a glass. Given its age, it is relatively simple and features a thin mouthfeel. However, its youth could also be what fuels its sweetness, and there is no guarantee that future releases will feature this same candy-like flavor profile. Though this first release is distillery-only, if additional barrels coming of age feature the same flavors, the team may need to make the hard decision to reserve some for future Private Reserve releases instead of their canned cocktails and bourbon cream products. Maybe that’s not actually the worst problem to have.