Walnut | Heavily roasted coffee bean | Turpentine | Punchy & unusual

Nutty undertone | Burnt toast | Heavily charred oak | Blackened marshmallow | Cooked caramel | Deep brown sugar | Punchy & overpowering

Burnt brown sugar transitions quickly to heavy spice | Black pepper | Heavily seasoned oak | Caramel

Goodnight Distillery is part of Foley Family Wines, LLC, and was founded by Bill Foley, owner of the NHL team Vegas Golden Knights and the entertainment company Black Knight Sports & Entertainment, businessman in the real estate and financial services industries, and Executive Chairman for Fidelity National, Inc. Foley is the great-great-nephew of Charles Goodnight, who lived from 1836-1929 and is known as the “Father of the Texas Panhandle.”

Charles Goodnight Bourbon follows the company’s first release in 2017, which was a 100 proof Kentucky distilled bourbon that was packaged completely differently. This release of Charles Goodnight Bourbon represents a completely new direction and could be called their inaugural release in this new form. It highlights its Texas roots inside and out, and from top to bottom. Sourced from an undisclosed Texas distillery (or potentially multiple distilleries), it has a fairly high 6 year age statement which is notable as bourbon tends to age quickly in Texas due to the state’s dry heat.

Texas bourbons have proven they often exhibit unusual flavor profiles and can be polarizing as a result. Because the interaction with barrels happens more rapidly in the state’s dry heat, the tipping point where the whiskey becomes overdone can happen early and quickly. Charles Goodnight Bourbon pushes as close to that tipping point as any other bourbon I’ve seen yet, and arguably may have even passed it. Sometimes bourbons are immediately likable, and other times you have to spend more time with them to get to know them and see if you can find something to like. Charles Goodnight Bourbon is one that took many visits to dial in, and while it has admirable traits, it also has clear flaws. The bourbon has really nice deep brown sugar and charred oak notes that sit on a nutty base, but these flavors are masked by slight turpentine on the nose, burnt toast and blackened marshmallow on the palate, and a heavy-handed jolt of spice on the finish. The overall combination is unusual and can be off-putting, though it does have a clear “this’ll put hair on your chest” demeanor that I can see a few bourbon drinkers really relishing. Put simply, it’s a bourbon that a few may love, but most will have a difficult time finding something to enjoy.