Bluegrass Toasted Oak

Craft distillers in the heart of Kentucky, Bluegrass was established in 2012 within part of a disused Lexington bread factory, releasing their first bourbon in 2015. With Kentucky ingredients, hand mashing, and their use of blue corn (the first Kentucky bourbon to do so), they built a following. Nevertheless, the 2023 news that they’d taken on Elkwood Farm 20 miles down the road where they can increase production 1,000% and grow their own heirloom blue corn and wheat on 62 acres of farmland was pretty incredible!

Toasted Oak uses a more classic mashbill of 75% (yellow) corn, 21% rye, and 4% malted barley. After a standard 3 years in fresh, charred American oak casks, it rested in lightly toasted casks for 21 days. Doesn’t sound long, but these lightly toasted (but not charred) barrels give up wood sugars easily and quickly. Such finishes are increasingly popular.