Yellowstone Select bourbon is another blend of straight bourbons from from the Limestone Branch distillery. The creation of this whiskey was orchestrated by Paul and Steve Beam whose family have a long history of distilling whiskey – their great-grandfather, Minor Case Beam, was the original owner of the Yellowstone brand. Like the Yellowstone LE the whiskey in this bottle all comes from other distilleries because their own whiskey is years away from being ready to bottle.
While ramping up their own production, Paul & Steve are taking the High West approach and putting out signature blends of whiskey to fund the distillery until their own whiskey has had time to fully mature. It’s not an uncommon approach and I don’t fault them in the slightest because they’ve been upfront from day 1 that it’s sourced whiskey. The honesty is refreshing, but in my estimation their blending experiments and releases haven’t been quite as successful as High West’s, especially at their price point.
Yellowstone Select Bourbon Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Blender & Bottler: Limestone Branch / Luxco
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 46.5%
Batch: 2015
Price: $50*
Yellowstone Select Bourbon Review
EYE
Orangish caramel
NOSE
Caramel, herbal, “organic licorice”, brown sugar, Bananas Foster (brûlée and toasted bananas), spice and a light bit of dark fruit and pie crust. By organic licorice I mean the soft, rich, all natural, etc. stuff you get at places like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. Not that waxy kind of licorice.
PALATE
Peanuts, hazelnuts, toffee, caramel and spice combined with light notes of citrus peel, wood and vanilla. That dark sweet and nutty character made me think of candied nuts and peanut brittle every time I took a sip.
FINISH
Medium fade of peanuts, wood, toffee, and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Ok balance, medium body and a thick oily texture that ran a bit hot.
OVERALL
Yellowstone Select Bourbon has a sweet and nutty character that’s oddly comforting. I don’t know if it’s bringing up something from my childhood I can’t fully remember or if it’s just that combination of nuts and sweetness which gives it a rustic homey feeling that translates to “inviting”. It’s an interesting experience and possibly one that only really pertains to me.
Warm fuzzies aside, the bourbon itself isn’t overly complex, but it is a solid sipping whiskey that also works well in cocktails. On a value scale I’d say Limestone Branch + Luxco did a better job with the Yellowstone Select Bourbon than they did the Yellowstone Limited Edition (even though I liked the YLE more). That said I still feel like this one is priced a bit high. It’s not a bad bourbon, just a bit more than I want to pay for what I get.
SCORE: 84/100
*Disclosure: This sample of Yellowstone Select 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.
Yellowstone Select Bourbon Review - Score Breakdown
Summary
Yellowstone Select Bourbon is a decent homey bourbon that hits those comforting sweet and rust notes just right. Despite giving me the warm fuzzies while drinking it, I can’t help but feel like it is a bit overpriced.
Overall
- Nose - 86
- Palate - 84
- Finish - 84
- Balance, Body & Feel - 82
Just started in this world!! I so use this site..so far Yellowstone was 1 of the smoothest yet.buffalo trace is next..I like the first taste at room temp cause I know ice will make it better and Yellowstone was great at room temp..very easy going down even for non collectors..
Awesome, thank for sharing, and thans for using the site. Cheers Alan!
First time trying this bourbon. I’ve passed it up on many occasions and thought I’d grab a bottle this trip. On the nose it had a hint of banana and caramel. The initial sip on the palate was a rapid sweetness, that unfortunately quickly faded. I was hoping it would get just a little more complex after that, but it didn’t. The finish was a bit of that wood/but finish (I still had the banana/vanilla notes on the finish) and spice.
I would rate this at a very mild 93proof bourbon. Good for sipping mid week, maybe a good option for some that like the lower proof bourbons, but wants to keep some 90+ proof in the stock.
Love the assessment, thanks for sharing. Cheers KP!
Bought a bottle yesterday and got that Evan Williams nuttiness that I’m not a fan of. I read a bunch of reviews but no one mentioned nuttiness as much as you did. I trust your reviews and will check here before I make any more bad purchases.
Thanks Yona, hope I continue to help :D Cheers!
$25.00 at Virginia Military Base!
I was recently close to Ft. Myer, (Near the Pentagon, Va.), decided to see what, if any, different bourbon/whiskey’s the Class Six would have verses our ABC stores. While disappointed in the overall selection, I did find Yellowstone at $25.00. Bought two, happy I did. As you’ve pointed out, nice sipping bourbon.
Happily discovered that my local ABC (40/50 miles from the nearest military base) carries a much better selection at prices under this Class Six store. Shopping local!
Wow that’s amazing all around. Cheers Tee!
I have given my son a bottle of un open , great color , good label and bottled BEFORE Prohhibition .
If you have any information that you could share , would be greatly appreciated .
I’ve had a bunch of those bottles, they’re great. Made at the original distillery, unlike the current stuff.
That “something from my childhood” feeling was big with this bourbon for me. Had a great sweetness for sure.
Glad I wasn’t the only one that had that experience. Wish I could nail it down exactly. Cheers!
Suggested retail is $50.00 Retailers are free to charge whatever they choose.
Hey Steve,
Thanks. I had read the MSRP was higher, but I’ve corrected it. Thank you.
Cheers!