Henry McKenna Bourbon comes to us from the fine folks at Heaven Hill. It uses the same mashbill as Evan Williams and Elijah Craig and Fighting Cock. It’s just younger, bottled at a lower proof and likely aged in a different part of the warehouse than the others. Likely towards the bottom where temperatures don’t fluctuate as much as at the top which leads to a less rich and less complex spirit.
However, there is nothing wrong with that. The world needs cheap, accessible bourbon and this fills that niche admirably. The large liter sized bottle also makes it a nice distraction so no one notices the bottle of Henry McKenna single barrel you have hiding in the back of your liquor shelf. A nice tasting decoy to keep greedy glasses from draining the stuff you want to keep for yourself.
Henry McKenna Bourbon Review
Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
Age: 4 years (at least)
ABV: 40%
Mashbill: 75% corn, 13% rye, 12% barley
Price: $13* (1 liter)
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Starts off with some caramel that mixes with a citrus that reminds me of 7UP before moving into some spice, vanilla, corn and wood. It’s fairly basic and quite light.
PALATE
Caramel again kicks things off, but this time it’s accompanied by some corn, vanilla and spice. Some light notes of wood and dark fruit drift through but like the nose it’s a fairly light and basic flavor overall.
FINISH
Medium in length and composed of corn, vanilla, caramel and wood.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not much there to balance, but nothing sticks out and it comes together nicely. Like the flavor and aroma it feels light and plays out smooth on the texture with almost no burn at all.
OVERALL
It’s not a bad bourbon in any way, just light and basic. No driving complexity moving it along, but at $13 / liter there doesn’t have to be. It’s a simple, straightforward, basic bourbon and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially since they’re charging an appropriate price for it. A nice “value whiskey” for cocktails, experimentations or when I just want a simple bourbon to sip on while cleaning the apartment.
SCORE: 82/100
*Disclosure: This bottle of Henry McKenna Bourbon was graciously sent to me by the company for the purposes of this review. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Henry McKenna Bourbon Review Review 13
Henry McKenna Bourbon Review Summary
Henry McKenna Bourbon is decent for what it is and can’t be discounted. A good workhorse whiskey
Overall
- Nose - 82
- Palate - 82
- Finish - 82
- Balance, Body & Feel - 82
User Review
( votes)( review)
Loving charcoal filtered, sour mash bourbons, and finding the very best ones tend to come from the Bardstown, Kentucky area, I’ve been sampling them all for years, enjoying them all to various degrees, and have settled on Henry McKenna as my evening cocktail regular favorite. Fits my taste perfectly, as an 89 yr old now, love its smoothness, flavor, relative lightness, and for the best price imaginable. Don’t mind having to drive 10 miles when I need to restock a bit!
Cheers!
I have read your reviews and really find you spot on. Just bought a bottle of this today. I am anxious to give it a try. It will be my drink with my late afternoon meal! Keep up the good work.
Thank you Bill and I hope you enjoy it. Cheers!
If you prefer sour mesh whiskey this is definitely the best for the price. I’m 68 won’t disclosed how long this has been my go to drink. Thank you!
Just wish it was easier to find these days, but definitely agree it’s a good whiskey. Cheers David!
10 hours rather :)
I’ve fallen in love with this, there’s nothing smoother if I just want a splash of bourbon with nothing else to think or worry about, it never disappoints. I was eager to share it with my son who’s quite the bourbon “expert” ever since he move 10 miles away to Lexington KY. “Not bad, could use it in mixers..” Lol. Dad can’t be schooling the young un. I don’t care if anyone appreciates it, would hate to have to say a hail mary to think I could ever find it on a shelf. I have a feeling someday my son will be hiding in the back room, sipping whenever he gets the chance as long as noone is looking :)
Glad you love it Ed and I hope you can always find it. Cheers!
My dad drank this and Old Grandad forever and still does. Cheap yes, I’ve spent way more for worse. Found a handle of it the other day sitting alone in a store. Didn’t know it came in 1.75 liter, so for $24 that handle is waiting on Dad for Thanksgiving this week
$24 for a handle is a great price, thanks for sharing, cheers!
Ol Henry has been my go to for about 15 years now. Use to flip flop between Henry and EW black. Now it’s strictly Henry. Shots, on ice, mixed. Everyone I’ve ever shared it with, falls in love with it. Great taste, great price. Gets ya where your going without breaking there bank.
Love this, thanks for sharing Lonesome Jones!
Is there anything else in this price class that competes with McKenna ? I’ve tried a Canadian whiskey which name I can’t recall at the moment and while it came fairly close, McKenna was not bested.
I really like Wild Turkey 101, but in that price no, it’s been one of my fav go-tos for pure value alone.
I believe it was MacNaughton Canadian Whiskey that was quite similar for the same price point. Have you tried it?
I haven’t, no. Haven’t heard of it actually, but am now intrigued :)
Good! I’m looking forward to the review and comparison
Is there anything else that competes with McKenna at this price-point ?
In Virginia, Evans Williams Black is $13 for 750 whereas McKenna is $12. McKenna is incredibly smooth, you can drink it like Kool-ade, but EW has a richer, more pointed taste. On the whole I would prefer McKenna for casual imbibing and EW for slow sipping. But for slow sipping many will want to spend a bit more and get something more pedigreed. Given the price I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed by McKenna or, for that matter, by EW Black.
Cheers to that Spuds!
Mckenna is a rock solid dram. Was impressed at the price first off , then after tasting I was again in for a shock…Wow! Absolutely fantastic ! I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys good bourbon . Thanks Josh for the review.
Cheers Big Mike!
Good review. I have been drinking McKenna as my ‘go to’ bourbon for over 40 years. It’s LACK of ‘slap you in the face’ qualities to ME is its best attribute. Smooth, slightly sweet, good neat, makes a dandy highball, and is best with a few drops of ice water after it has set for a few minutes.
Great stuff, thanks for sharing Jerry. Cheers!
Worth every penny. A nice session dram.
.is there such a thing?
Depends on your tolerance ;P Cheers!
I went to local liquor store and asked the owner if he had any good bourbon that was!nt outrageously priced. He recommended Henry McKenna. I like it, for the price it is pretty smooth. I mix a shot of it with 12 ounces of diet 7up. It is about 95 calories, the same as a lite beer, but better flavor.
Love the McKenna, cheers Bob!
This is pretty interesting in one distinctive way: it’s drinking “Bourbon Light”…you get the buzz, you eventually get the flavor. Nothing offensive. The lack of nose and finish are most notable. But for $14/L while traveling with kids? It works.
Wish they’d Bottle a 1.75 Liter Henry McKenna Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond. The 750ml goes too quickly and It could be a “Value Buster” for Heaven Hill to Blow Away Makers or Jim Beam Black, or Gentleman Jim, Jack Daniels Black or Gentleman Jack. The ONLY Question is How Much is Available ? Someone Lemme Know, Please.
You walk into the liquer store and find this bottle sitting by its self with no friends next to it. I think…this bottle looks lonely, I’ll give it a try. I was very surprised! This tastes like a 100 dollar bottle of bourbon.
Let’s hope it stays that way. Tastes like $100+, but costs way way less :) cheers!
So, Josh, I have to confess something shame-inducing. For a moment–despite the relentlessly on-point nature of your palate and your reviews–I doubted you. I thought “There’s no way the regular Henry McKenna can be anything good compared to its stellar Bottled-In-Bond sibling.”
Well, I’m happy to report that at least I put my doubts aside long enough to buy a bottle of this and I”m glad. It’s cheap, yes, at $12 a bottle here in the Old Dominion. It’s also a nice little dram, like a less expensive version of Old Grand-Dad mixed with Wild Turkey. You summed it up nicely above as a bourbon to clean house to.
In other words, I’m sorry I doubted you but glad I took your advice when push came to shove. Thanks again for another recommendation!
Nice inexpensive bourbon
I started drinking bourbons at $35 a bottle and am working my way down from Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, and Bulliet through Jim Beam to Evan Williams and Henry McKenna Black. I don’t notice a lot of falling off; in fact, Henry McKenna’s lightness and smoothness reminds me of Eagle Rare. The main danger with this bourbon is you will drink too much of it, so easily it goes down. I would say it’s a very safe buy though Evan Williams Black is only a dollar more, so that would be the main competition.
Cheers!
Excellent review. A good bottom shelf pour. Nothing stands out, but there are no “off” notes that you can sometimes get from bottom shelf dwellers. I have enjoyed everything I’ve tried from Heaven Hills with the exception of the EW Green Label and EW Black Label.
Good review. I just discovered this bourbon after a friend recommended it while we were at a local craft brewery. I think it’s one of the best values out there. I enjoy it straight or on ice. I got a giggle when reading that you enjoyed it while cleaning your apartment. I just finished a couple straight shots while cleaning up the house, taking the dog out, and feeding the cat. Nobody seems to mention it, but it seems to me that any straight whiskey benefits greatly from being left to sit and breathe for 30 minutes or more before being “evaluated” and consumed. Thanks again.
Right? Gotta let that stuff breathe! Thanks for the story, glad I’m not the only one who finds it a little easier to do house work with some bourbon near-by. Cheers!