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# Fighting Cock Bourbon Review
- URL: https://www.bourbonbanter.com/fighting-cock-bourbon-review/
- Published: 2015-01-21T06:01:45.000Z
- Updated: 2023-04-14T23:58:20.000Z
- Description: Welcome to another installment of our tasting series on lower shelf bourbons. Bourbon & Banter contributor, Thomas Fondano, will be trying out and commenting on bourbons priced under $20.
- Author: Thomas Fondano
- Tags: Bourbon Whiskey Reviews, Bourbon, Fighting Cock, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2023-03-13 09:32, #updated

*Welcome to another installment of our tasting series on lower shelf bourbons. Bourbon & Banter contributor, [Thomas Fondano](https://www.bourbonbanter.com/author/twinfountain/ "Thomas Fondano"), will be trying out and commenting on bourbons priced under $20\. Knowing that not all sub-$20 bourbons will be great, Thomas will be adding a new category to our standard tasting notes – Straight, Old Fashioned or Manhattan – to see whether a classic cocktail improves on a straight tasting. We hope you enjoy this new series of reviews and hope you’ll help us shape future reviews by letting us know in the comments what sub-$20 bourbon you’d like us to review next.*

Today I’m reviewing “the bad boy of bourbon.” These are not my words. From the Heaven Hill website:

> *The bad boy of Bourbon is bottled at a robust 103 proof, but its 6 years of aging smooth out the feathers real well. Through award-winning packaging and point-of-sale, and a unique and irreverent marketing campaign, Fighting Cock appeals to both male Gen X-ers and serious Bourbon lovers alike.*

> *The “kickin’ chicken” has been a favorite throughout the South for years.*

As a male Gen-Xer, I think I’m supposed to hate being a target market. I’m also not a bloodsport enthusiast. But I suppose what’s in the bottle is more important than what’s on the label.

![Fighting Cock Bourbon Bottle Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1f/bc/1fbc7ea1-d6e2-43ab-9661-246c6f0c07f9/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/fighting_cock.jpg)

### BOTTLE DETAILS

**Proof:** 103

**Age:** 6 years

**Year:**  2014

**How I Drank It**: Neat, in a Glencairn whiskey glass.

**My Nose Noticed:\*** Wet Hay | Ethanol | Vanilla | Oak

**First Sip:** Ethanol. So much alcohol flavor that it *needs* water to open up.

**The Burn:\*\*** Long lasting and aggressive to the point that it almost obliterates flavor. Also a bit tannic and drying.

**Neat, Splash or Rocks:** I never say this, but definitely rocks. Water will work too, but I like the ice to cool it down and round off the jagged fiery edges. Flavors of rye spice, honey and pecan begin to show through with dilution.

****Straight, Old Fashioned or Manhattan:** Either on the rocks or in an Old Fashioned where ice, bitters and sugar can take off some of the alcohol burn.

**Share With:** Friends. I shared it with some friends after they helped me move a 300 lb. log in my backyard and they liked it.

**Worth The Price:** At $18.95 I feel it’s a bit much as there are better values to be had at the same price point.

**Bottle, Bar or Bust:** If you want to ask a bartender for a Fighting Cock or “Cock on the rocks,” be my guest, but for the most part I’d call this a bust. Overall I feel that this bourbon is more of about marketing and novelty than being a great product.

*\*I like to let my bourbon sit in the glass for at least 5 minutes before I start to smell it or have a drink. I personally find that it’s better to let some of the alcohol waft off before diving in. If I’m drinking bourbon on the rocks I skip the waiting and dive in both feet first.* 
*\*\*Some of you refer to this as the “finish” but let’s be honest. Don’t we all just want to know if it burns good?*