As we reported recently, American single malt is now a legally defined category recognized by the TTB, the governmental organization in charge of regulating alcohol. Still, distilleries have been making this type of whiskey for many years, as proven by the release of the new Town Branch Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky Single Malt Whiskey Archive Series, a 15-year-old expression that the distillery says is the oldest bottled-in-bond American single malt to date. We got an early taste of this expensive new whiskey, and it’s a good one.
Town Branch is located in Lexington, Ken., and the distillery (part of the Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.) was the first new one to operate in the city since Prohibition when it opened in 2012. It produces bourbon, rye, and single malt whiskey, although based on the age of this new release it appears to have been distilled somewhere else. According to the press release, Town Branch founder Dr. Pearse Lyons “commissioned” a few barrels of single malt in 2009 with the intention of ultimately releasing a bottled-in-bond expression (the product of one distillery and one distillation season, at least four years old, exactly 100 proof). This inaugural release in the distillery’s Archive Series, which will continue through 2030, is also non-chill filtered and a single barrel expression (selected from barrel number 222).
The Town Branch team tasted through barrels this past July with the intention or releasing a 15-year-old whiskey to celebrate the distillery’s 15th anniversary. It was aged in used bourbon barrels, which unlike bourbon is now officially allowed by law for the single malt category, and just 108 bottles were ultimately filled making this an extremely limited release. Although $400 is quite a lot to ask for a bottle American single malt, regardless of its age, given that people are still relatively unfamiliar with the category and might be hesitant to spend that type of cash on something that isn’t a unicorn bourbon. There are some American single malts that are nearly as old, and one that is also aged for 15 years and even more expensive: The Notch 15 Year, made at Triple Eight Distillery on Nantucket, which is a fantastic whiskey. But this does indeed seem to be the oldest bottled-in-bond expression to date.
I had a chance to try a sample and it’s a good whiskey, although I have to say I’ve had some that I like better. The palate is full of fruit notes like pear and pineapple, along with vanilla, lemon zest, and some chocolate-orange on the finish. And there’s a nice lightness and freshness to the flavor profile, even after being aged for that long in oak. Each bottle comes with a Collector’s Coin which gives you access to free Town Branch tours for life, so make sure to hold onto that if you buy a bottle and bring it with you next time you visit the distillery. Check your local speciality liquor store to find a bottle, and you can also find other bottles in the Town Branch lineup available to purchase from websites like ReserveBar.
