Background

The current Yellowstone whiskey brand is produced at the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky, about an hour and a half south of Louisville and about 30 minutes south of Bardstown by car.

In 1871, Charles Townsend, a sales manager at the liquor wholesale house Taylor & Williams, traveled to the newly created Yellowstone National Park, where he saw the famous geyser, Old Faithful. Townsend was so taken with this national wonder that he created and named a bourbon brand, Yellowstone, to honor it. Taylor & Williams contracted production with the J.T. Dant's Cold Spring Distillery in Gethsemane. Unfortunately, the distillery closed and was dismantled during American Prohibition. The Dant family established Yellowstone, Inc. and built a distillery in 1933 in Shively, Jefferson County. The Yellowstone Distillery and its brand were purchased by Glenmore Distilleries, Inc. in 1944. It eventually closed in 1970.

Fast forward to October of 2010, Stephen and Paul Beam decided to become Kentucky Bourbon Distillers because when your last name is Beam and you're from Kentucky, why not? They formed the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky, because there was good local access to grains and limestone water. Stephen and Paul broke ground on Limestone Branch on May 26, 2011. With the help of their father, who still had ties to the local bourbon community, the brothers reconstructed a small distillery inspired by distilleries of previous generations. Stephan Beam, the founder and master distiller, has a long whiskey-making lineage. On one side, his great-great-grandfather was renowned bourbon pioneer Joseph Washington Dant. Heaven Hill makes a bourbon called J.W. Dant that also honors his legacy.

On the other side of the family, Stephan Beam's great-grandfather was Minor Case Beam, who began working in the bourbon business in 1871. By 1883, he was a master distiller in his own right. Minor Case's work in the bourbon business was cut short by prohibition. Minor Case Beam specifically inspired Stephan Beam to open his own distillery finally. The yeast used at Limestone Branch today is a clone of the yeast collected from MC Beam's own jug yeast, which they keep at the distillery. In addition to Yellowstone, Limestone Branch Distillery produces a Sherry cask-finished 4-year-old rye whiskey called Minor Case.

In 2015, they formed a partnership with the spirits supplier Luxco to produce the brand at Limestone Branch with the creation of the Yellowstone Select Kentucky Bourbon label. The Luxco portfolio also includes other brands like Ezra Brooks and Rebel Bourbon, Exotico and El Mayor Tequila, Saint Brendan's Irish Cream, The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey, and my personal favorite, Everclear Grain Alcohol. Just kidding.

Side note: the contract distiller and food ingredients producer MGP acquired Luxco in 2021, so they are the ultimate parent company, but their subsidiary Luxco still manages the Yellowstone brand. Finally, despite what people think, there is no connection between the brand and the popular neo-western TV show by Paramount starring Kevin Costner.

Philanthropy

Next, I want to highlight two worthwhile organizations that the Yellowstone brand supports to ensure they are doing their part to help organizations across the globe to conserve unique places like the National Parks. Successful companies have a duty to give back; with a name like Yellowstone, this is a perfect combination. They have a great line on their website that I really love. "In sharing our name with America's first National Park, we want to do our part in ensuring this bond of park and bourbon runs deeper than name alone."

The first organization is the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Yellowstone partnered with the NPCA in 2018 to support their mission to protect and preserve our National Parks. In 2023, Yellowstone donated $250,000 to them, making the brand one of the NPCA's most significant corporate benefactors. The second organization is the Trans Canada Trail, which connects people with the parks and nature across Canada. In 2023, Yellowstone will contribute $30,000 to the Trans Canada Trail.

Yellowstone Select, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The Yellowstone Select is the brand's flagship product. It combines 4-year-old and 7-year-old bourbon distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley and bottled at 93 proof (46.5 % ABV). Yellowstone Select won a gold medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

Note - Rye spice with soft, leathered cherries
Palate - Smoked caramel with hints of vanilla and honey
Finish - Smoky oak brown sugar

Yellowstone Toasted, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted Oak Staves

The Yellowstone Toasted was the first release in the "Special Finishes Collection." This product starts as the 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley used for the Yellowstone Select. Next, the bourbon is finished with toasted staves for an undisclosed period. The brand offers little transparency on this product, but they tell us they use at least five toast-style staves. The staves used for the second finishing are described as high toast, American oak double toast, high vanilla, rick house, and spice rack staves. The final product is bottled at 100 proof (50 % ABV). Yellowstone Toasted won a double gold medal at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

I'll provide a general explanation for toasted-finished bourbons because they are so popular these days. Once the base bourbon has reached the target flavor profile, in this case, it's around four years, and additional wooden staves are added inside that barrel for a specific period. For Yellowstone Toasted, the company does not tell us how long they finish this product. The added staves have been toasted for particular lengths to generate an ideal flavor they might impart. For example, specific toasting methods might develop a strong vanilla or coffee flavor in the whiskey. Usually, a producer will add a combination of staves, imparting different types of oak flavor and hopefully creating greater complexity.

Nose - Toasted caramel, vanilla, hints of fall spices and cinnamon
Palate - Walnut, toffee, black tea and white pepper
Finish - Cocoa and tobacco with a crisp oak finish

Yellowstone Rum Cask, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks

The Yellowstone Rum Cask is the second release in the "Special Finishes Collection." At the time of writing, in October 2024, this is the newest release from the brand. This product starts as the 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley used for the Yellowstone Select. Next, the bourbon is cask-finished for 9 weeks in rum barrels sourced from Havana, Cuba. The final product is bottled at 100 proof (50 % ABV).

Nose - Gingerbread, poached pear and fresh-cut hay
Palate - Toasted marshmallow, crème brûlée, toffee and toasted oak
Finish - Tobacco, clove and cocoa-seasoned oak with a long honey finish

Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey

The Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey is not a bourbon but a 4-year-old whiskey distilled from malted barley at a single distillery. They do not disclose what style of malt(s) they use. This product is bottled at 108 proof (54 % ABV).

Nose - Cereal malt and honey with a hint of peach blossom
Palate - Sweet medium body with notes of honey, pear, stone fruit and dates
Finish - Notes of oak with hints of cinnamon and English walnuts

Yellowstone Limited Edition, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cognac and Brandy Casks (2024)

The Yellowstone Limited Edition is an annual limited-release product that explores the brand's most premium blends and cask finishes. Each release is unique and different from the previous year. Like most limited-release products, this usually becomes available in the fall. The 2024 expression is a 7-year-old and 17-year-old bourbon double-finished in French brandy and Cognac casks and bottled at 101 proof (50.5 % ABV).

Yellowstone Hand Picked Collection, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Yellowstone offers a customer-pick or store-pick single-barrel program. These products will be bottled as a single barrel at barrel proof. They are all slightly different because no two barrel-proof single barrels are the same. The production and bottling details should be available on the label.

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