Fresh cherry | Raspberry | Red grape | Tobacco | Cinnamon stick | Touch of leather | Interesting combination

Dried fruit | Raspberry | Savory tobacco | Allspice | Fresh grape | Rich & well integrated

Cherry pie | Concord grape jelly | Rush of spice | Dark fruit | Medium length

Copper & Kings is based out of Louisville, Kentucky, and has made quite the name for themselves with their brandy and non-whiskey products. While the company has done collaborations with other whiskey distilleries, often in the form of barrel finishing, they’ve never released a bourbon under their own name before. That changed this past summer with the release of their first batch of bourbon that will be offered exclusively through their “Bottle-Your-Own” experience at the Copper & Kings Distillery. The company states in their press release, that “the initial Copper & Kings bourbon features sourced bourbon, aged between five and six years and finished for 13 months in Copper & Kings American Brandy barrels. In total, this first release includes 14 single barrels, finished in either apple or grape brandy barrels.”

While Copper & King’s “Bourbon in Apple” release didn’t quite come together, Bourbon in Grape doesn’t disappoint. Finishing in ex-grape brandy barrels, the result combines a barrage of rich dark fruit flavors with a bourbon base in a way that isn’t overpowering in any one direction. There are plenty of rich fruit notes, but the whiskey has a quintessential bourbon undertone that just works. While these are single barrels and one will vary from the next, Copper & Kings has stumbled onto a great combination here that’s worth seeking out at $65 per bottle.