Fresh ground cinnamon | Oak | Allspice | Cinnamon bundt cake

Vanilla cream | Faint leather | Aged oak | Cinnamon stick | Nutmeg | Brown sugar | Rye spice | Slightly dry

Rye spice | Dry cinnamon cake | Leather | Oak | White peppercorn | Flash of whipped brown sugar | Lingering dry spice

Each batch of Kentucky Senator Bourbon carries with it the name of a notable U.S. senator from Kentucky. Release 7 features Jim Bunning. Having pitched 17 seasons of professional baseball, Bunning was the only Major League Baseball player elected to both the Baseball Hall of Fame and the United States Senate to date. Bunning’s notable contribution to the bourbon world was introducing Senate Resolution 294 in August 2007, which designates September as National Bourbon Heritage Month.

Kentucky Senator Spirits states that this is the second bottle in a new ongoing vertical, with the first release being Release #6. As such, Release #7 is aged one additional year and carries the same mashbill as last year’s release. Similar to last year’s release, the bourbon focuses on more classic flavor notes. Release #7 is a touch drier in the midpoint and finish, which is surprising, given that it’s still under 9 years old. While I found Release #7 to be a step behind Release #6, what I stated last year still stands, as the brand has become reliable and predictable in that sense, sticking to quintessential Kentucky bourbon roots.

This release consists of approximately 4,000 bottles. The bourbon in review is bottle number 0403.