Sweet corn | Vanilla | Toasted marshmallow | Brown sugar | Charred oak | Light oats | Dried raisins | Slight ethanol | For the proof, the nose makes you work for the scents

Bitter aged oak | Muted vanilla | Rye grain | Incredibly harsh spice that builds | Unbalanced

Thick tannic oak | Sharp rye spice | Dry leather | Lingering noticeable heat | Earthy, dry & hot

In the fall of 2019, Green River Distillery was officially revived at its original home. The team at parent company Terressentia who was responsible for the revitalization, originally purchased the property 6 years ago, restored it, and began producing in 2016 as the O.Z. Tyler Distillery. If that name sounds familiar, O.Z. Tyler is known for their use of the TerrePURE, which is meant to speed up and “improve” the aging process. According to the company, “all distilled spirits made by parent company Terressentia are refined with the patented TerrePURE® process. TerrePURE® is an all-natural process that utilizes ultrasonic energy, heat, and oxygen to dramatically improve the quality and taste of distilled spirits.” However, a company representative has confirmed with us that Green River Bourbon does NOT use the TerrePURE process, instead they stated, “It's entirely standard “old school” aging method” that is being used.

While the background and history of Green River Spirits is very interesting, what’s important is the resulting bourbon in the glass. Immediately noticeable is the bourbon’s incredibly dark color for its relatively young age. It ultimately proves to be a good reminder to never judge a book by its cover. The resulting sip starts with an interesting nose, only to quickly transition to a dry harsh spice and bitter oak notes that results in an overall unbalanced sip. Every time I sit with this bourbon, it produces the same results, and makes me wonder if more time or LESS time is necessary to right the resulting sip. The bourbon provided by Green River Spirits was 3 months younger than what is planned on being made available in 2021. While those 3 months may drastically impact the resulting product, I find it hard to imagine that this short additional time in the barrel will change the flavor profile much.

A limited release of Green River 4 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon will be available in 2021.