Episode 17: Black Button Distilling Bespoke Blend Bourbon "Breaking Bourbon & Seelbach's"

The Pot Still Column: Episode 17

Black Button Distilling Bespoke Blend Bourbon "Breaking Bourbon & Seelbach's"

Batch #5

Proof: 94

Age: 4 Years

Finish: None

Source: Black Button Distilling (Rochester, New York)

Price: $65.00

Garrison Brothers, is that you? No, despite the strong similarity in the nose and identical proofs, the subject of today's review is Black Button Distilling, a craft distillery apparently producing Texas whiskey in New York!

Jokes aside, Black Button Distillery is a fast-growing producer of craft whiskeys in Rochester, New York. The distillery has been making its own distillate since day one, never sourcing from anywhere else, and takes great pride in its exclusive use of locally grown or locally malted grains. I had the privilege of speaking with Alex Hunnel, the manager of Black Button's barrel and blend program and an important moving piece behind the blend at hand today. During our chat, Alex illustrated an exciting future for Black Button Distillery, describing plans to expand from their current 5,000sqft property to a 28,000sqft distillery and barrel house. The larger location will allow Black Button to diversify production, engage in some exciting experiments, and put out older products. While much of Black Button's bourbon is between 2 and 3 years old, their stock is aging patiently, and the company plans to continue increasing its product's age statement with every passing year.

Part of the plan to release older bourbons revolves around the transition from smaller to larger barrels. Black Button started aging its bourbons in 15 gallon barrels, but has since increased the size of its vessels several times, transitioning from 15 to 30 to, most recently, 53 gallon barrels. Each barrel size matures its contents at a different rate, with the usual trend being that larger barrels can hold whiskey for longer periods of time before becoming over-oaked. The recent upgrades in barrel size have caused Black Button to outgrow their 2 to 3 year aging mark, and future batches of Black Button bourbon will almost certainly be rested for longer.

Grain is another important part of Black Button's bourbon equation, and sourcing from local farms has been part of the plan since the very beginning. In fact, every part of Black Button's bourbon is New York made, from the grain to the water to the barrels. Black Button partners with local farms to select high quality corns and ryes, some of which are revitalized heirloom varieties with which the company is experimenting. When Black Button can't procure locally-grown grains such as barley, it employs local businesses to malt and process the grains to make them their own. Finally, the distillery uses barrels crafted by the Adirondack Barrel Cooperage, a New York-based producer of American white oak barrels. The use of local products and services by Black Button Distilling allows them to meet the criteria for a Farm Distillery License, a New York State designation that promotes sustainability and supports local farmers. In a market dominated by mediocre quality grains distributed by goliath corporations, I think that's pretty cool.

Now that I've finally gotten around to smelling it, I am amazed at how much this whiskey smells like Garrison Brother's small batch expression. The scent screams craft in the most delicious way. There is a slight red chili note blended well with a warm, creamy oak that I have only ever found in Texas whiskey. Ironically, the oak that defines Garrison Brothers' whiskey is a product of the Texas heat, and Rochester could not have a more different climate. With Rochester's quick temperature swings of up to 80 degrees, the aging process for Black Button's whiskey is incredibly active. Vanilla bean is present in the nose as well, and is probably responsible for the creaminess that I am detecting. For the proof, the nose is rich and dense. The tasting notes written on the bottle list caramel, but I don't detect any traditional caramel on the nose. Instead, there is a scent very similar to that of Mexican cajeta, a goat milk caramel usually served as a spread on toast or in the form of a chewy candy. There is not a single hint of green in the smell, just oak, barrel char, vanilla, and cajeta. Returning to the nose after finishing the pour reveals the smell of cinnamon-covered rice pudding in the empty glass.

The taste meets the high bar set by the nose, dense and oily with a familiar Texas funk. The vanilla comes alive in the flavor, extending deeply into the finish, especially upon exhaling through one's nose. Leathery notes are dominant as well, and the creaminess develops into something like chocolate or coffee, although the exact flavor matches neither perfectly. The leather note oscillates between the raw leather smell that one might find in new boots and a more synthetically treated substance such as hot leather car seats. Once again I am pleasantly surprised at the intensity of the flavor considering the proof. I can only imagine what this would taste like at cask strength, and considering the graceful lack of ethanol at 94 proof, I suspect that it would be a contender for pour of the year.

While this type of oaky and smoky profile can be off-putting for many, it is an example of the diversity and experimentation that excites me the most. Black Button Distillery's Bespoke Blend bourbon is a true testament to the superior quality of locally grown grains over those used in the mass market. I wonder if the distillery employs a similar varietal of corn to that used by Garrison Brothers, another promoter of local grains and heirloom strains, which would begin to explain the similarities. Alternatively, its status as a four-grain bourbon means that any combination or single one of the four grains used could be responsible for the taste. Black Button uses a unique four-grain mash bill of 60% NYS wapsie valley corn, 20% soft winter wheat, 11% danko rye, and 9% locally malted barley.

Closing Impression:

This is a bourbon to be sought after, especially for those who appreciate a funky Texas whiskey profile and enjoy more diverse flavors. Those who strongly prefer a mass-market bourbon may struggle to see the value that I see in this whiskey, although I encourage everyone to try and identify the broad spectrum of flavors that it contains. This bottle is a private blend, so I cannot guarantee that Black Button's core offerings are identical, but I hope for the sake of everyone who loves good whiskey that they are. Black Button's blending program is growing, and distribution is expanding, so the odds of seeing another bottle such as this one in one's area are getting better by the day! Additionally, rumor has it that Black Button is working on a small host of new releases, one of which may involve the use of a smoked corn. I hope to see more from Black Button here in Southern California, and I am fully confident that they will continue to impress.

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Nose: 92/100

Taste: 93/100

Finish: 90/100

Overall: 92/100

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P.S. - Thanks to Alex H. for speaking to me at length about the distillery, and thanks to Richard D. for gifting me the bottle for this review