Give Me Lexington Or Give Me, Well, Some Of That Other Bourbon

Let us approach this review of Lexington Bourbon from a positive perspective rather than a negative angle – it’s not that the bourbon that proclaims to receive a 95 from the experts at The Tasting Panel magazine is bad, nor are we in any lofty position to challenge the TP experts’ taste buds to a bourbon duel or their organization’s corporate schmoozing skills – it’s merely that Lexington is most likely to be an acquired taste for your buds and well, we simply did not acquire it.

Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the Western Spirits company being based in Wyoming and touting a Kentucky bourbon that has been “patiently aging for years in Kentucky’s finest charred white oak barrels” – that’s okay, not everybody can have their distillery based in the state known for some of the world’s best bourbon – it still produces a sliver of doubt about not only the authenticity of the bourbon’s Kentucky royalty lineage but also the need to point that out. Most bourbons in Kentucky’s royal lineup don’t need to point out their Kentuckiness, almost everybody knows who they are. So Lexington is probably not going to be for your bourbon fanboy elder statesmen, it’s going to be more for your average Joe and Average Joe’s cousin [who might find more appeal in their blackberry, cinnamon and peach-flavored whiskies under the Bird Dog brand].

Again, this is not much of a problem, really, as they have realized their market, name-dropped Kentucky and are situated at a reasonable price point for most Average Joes seeking a decent satisfaction of their bourbon fixation. The color is pleasant, the nose is not overwhelming and the taste reminded us of a woody, spicy twig we might find out in the backyard – overall, not knocking you out of your socks but not glaringly offensive to your taste buds either. If this were porridge in the Goldilocks tale, it would be the porridge that was “just right” but we’d still like to try some of Dad’s porridge when it cooled down.

So go ahead and purchase a bottle of Lexington and see what you think. It will probably not do much to challenge your established favorites and – we’re wildly speculating here – its taste probably won’t instill a surge of anger or nausea. It’s just good enough, maybe, to justify the cost to your wallet but you can find better and, hey, maybe Cousin Andy will like it.

Color – Golden brown

Nose – Spicy

Taste – Woody [not the car]

Alcohol – 86 proof [43%]

Price – $30

WC Rating – 6.1