Mystery mash bills and whiskey sources leave drinkers talking about Yellowstone Recollection Bourbon

BOTTLE DETAILS

• DISTILLER: Distilled and aged in Kentucky, and bottled by Limestone Branch Distillery
• MASH BILL: Not disclosed by the company, so at least 51% Corn. But for some reason, internet sleuths are eager to discover whether it is sourced from Heaven Hill Distillery, or blended using bourbons made by Limestone Branch Distillery and Lux Row Distillers. Why has such attention come to this bottle? Beats me.
• AGE: 8 years
• YEAR: 2026
• PROOF: 110 (55% ABV)
• MSRP: $69.99 for a 700ml
• BUY ONLINE: Yellowstone Bottle Shop

STEVE'S NOTES

SHARE WITH: Any bourbon fan who likes an easy drinker with a little extra proof and modest complexity.

WORTH THE PRICE: Mostly. But I still dislike 700ml packages whose prices don't seen to reflect the lesser amount of liquid within.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Bottle. It's good bourbon. No qualms about flavor, proof, texture ... anything tied to the liquid. I'd like it better at $49, but that's not happening.

OVERALL: I'm rarely geeked about nostalgic packaging, but I have bourbon drinking friends who will buy practically anything that harkens back to wild west or the lone prairie and the great outdoors. Many will be drawn to this package and purchase it for its shelf beauty.

It is an attractive bottle, what with its embossed "Yellowstone" lettering and campy depiction of a waterfall coursing the cleavage of grand rock formations. The press release with it says it pays homage to the Yellowstone brand's past hand-painted bottles, which surely were cool in their day. But we're here to discuss aroma and flavor, not glass and graphics, so let's move on to that action.

The nose is simple: dark caramel, oak, ripe cherry, confectioner's sugar, cinnamon and a little ethanol punch that points to what awaits the palate. The caramel hints at richness and the oak whispers "age," and that's encouraging on both counts.

And it delivers on each nicely. It hits center palate with a pretty good bit of spice and tingle, an almost carbonated sensation that subtly pleasant. Fresh orange peel moves in along with blackberry, chocolate energy bars, chocolate cake and the barest hint of leather. Swallowing it leaves a trail of ideal warmth, and the finish corn and rye grains. Gimmie a nighttime campfire in this mild spring weather or an NCAA men's hoops game airing BEFORE 10:15 p.m., and I'd really enjoy this.

Were I to join those trying to guess whose whiskey this might be, I'd not fully count out Lux Row. Remember, as detailed below, it was a Heaven Hill customer for a long time.. Though I've had a few Yellowstone single barrels, it's hard to pick up any of those nuances clearly here.

And Heaven Hill? Maybe some of the palate points to Elijah Craig flagship–which is the same mash bill used for several other HH bourbons mash bills. I don't typically pick up cherry on Heaven Hill bourbon brands as vividly as I do here, so I can't say that makes any guesses about its origins easier.

One friend asked, "Why would Heaven Hill sell anyone anything?" As mentioned, Lux Row was a longtime HH sourced whiskey customer until it cut off Lux Row as bourbon demand soared. Lux Row cofounder, Donn Lux, whose family fortune was made with Luxco, a massive brand holding and bottling company sold to MGPI a few years back, told me years ago that he never wanted to own a distillery. But Heaven Hill's move to keep all its stocks for itself forced his hand.

Is this a case of old, friendly customers and clients warming up to each other in the cooling American whiskey market? Possibly. But anything can happen at companies like Heaven Hill, which boasts of more than 2 million barrels of whiskey in inventory. A 200 barrel sale of 8 year old bourbon to an old friend is just kind business. It's also just 0.0001% of HH's inventory.

While I didn't come close to solving the mystery of the mash bill(s) behind this liquid, I'll say simply this: It's good bourbon.

BRAND NOTES

• NOSE: Classic Kentucky bourbon notes of vanilla crème brûlée, dark cherry, and a hint of charred oak.
• PALATE: Those flavors carry over, along with caramel, butterscotch and sweet cinnamon candy.
• FINISH: Grain notes, mocha and distinctive Yellowstone cherry notes, with spicy, red hot cinnamon candies.

Disclaimer: Bourbon & Banter received a sample of this product from the brand for review. We appreciate their willingness to allow us to review their products with no strings attached. Thank you.