Caramel corn | French vanilla | Toasted cinnamon | Dried orange | Mango | Seasoned oak

Golden raisin | Butterscotch | Apricot | Orange | Mixed nuts

Baking spices | Toasted oak | Toasted cinnamon | Dried apricot | Tempered charred oak

Frank August is led by CEO and Co-Founder, Johnathan Crocker, the former denim and fashion executive for AG Jeans and BLDWN. Frank August’s concept isn’t an elaborate backstory, instead allowing the bourbon (and bottle) to speak for itself. The minimalist and contemporary designed bottle is meant to live on long after its contents are empty, as the back label peels off along with the sticker on the bottle neck, producing an elegant reusable decanter.

For their latest case study, the brand created nine batches by blending sets of six barrels of Kentucky bourbon that were aged 8-10 years. What truly makes this release a unique curiosity though, is the three distilleries the barrels were sourced from, are “three of Kentucky's most storied legacy distilleries.” Though contractual limitations prohibit them from revealing the distilleries directly, reading between the lines reveals that they are very likely Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and Heaven Hill.

Though a few companies have begun blending multiple named distilleries together and advertising them as such, it's increasingly rare for a company to blend whiskeys from major Kentucky distilleries (or if they are, they don’t allude to it). Blending bourbons from Jim Beam, Wild Turkey, and Heaven Hill is bound to pique a bourbon enthusiast's interest as these types of “dream blends” don’t officially exist in a real product form unless you blend your own using store bought bottles.

The bourbon’s aroma is sweet and fruit forward, with ample amounts of caramel corn upfront. French vanilla and toasted cinnamon (which returns later in the finish), pairing nicely with dried orange, mango, and seasoned oak. The palate is three pronged with fruit (golden raisin, apricot, and orange), butterscotch, and mixed nuts. The finish layers in baking spice, toasted oak, a touch of dried apricot, and charred oak.

If you took three of the best bourbons ever made and blended them, you won’t necessarily get a 3x better bourbon or likely even an equally great bourbon. What you will get is something new and unique. Frank August Case Study: 06 Legacy Reserve is a thoroughly enjoyable sipper that bourbon geeks will get an extra kick out of based on its blended components. Some of its individual distillery characteristics get lost or changed in the blending process and the result is something familiar but also something quite different. The aroma is surprisingly caramel and fruit-forward. The palate sports great intensity and the finish is traditional and a bit shorter than I’d like it to be. Overall, it's a great bourbon that is hard to resist given the blending components involved.