The last drops of Bourbon from a legendary still, squeezed into a bottle.
The Stitzel-Weller Distillery is stuff of Bourbon legend. It was founded on Derby Day in 1935 by Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle himself and some of the most legendary Bourbons and brands were made there. The distillery itself was closed in 1992 and is now a museum-like adjunct of Bulleit Bourbon Experience, owned by Diageo. But there is a lot of left-over Weller Bourbon in the storage lofts, along with “orphan” casks from other distilleries. Blade & Bow Bourbon blends these Bourbons solera-style to produce their range of two Whiskeys.
Blade & Bow Bourbon Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey… the first thing you might notice is there is no age statement. Don’t let that throw you. Since this is a blend of orphan casks, accurately stating the age would be a near impossibility. But this is all premium aged spirit aged in all the right ways, and blended from some of the finest Bourbon distilleries in the world. It’s rich and thick and you should judge it with the tongue. And due to the fact that no more Whiskey flows from the stills at the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, this tasty-train will one day come to an end, so make sure you get a sip first.
Member Reviews and Ratings of Blade & Bow Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Mike,
Great nose on this pour. Smooth pour. Not sure if I buy the story but it’s a good one
Charles,
Nice, light drinker in the summer. It’s good but not great. Nice presentation but the price is a bit hefty for what you get.
Scott,
The bourbon lives up to the great label & bottle haha (there is a key attached to the bottle). Tastes great neat. Smooth & balanced. Highly recommend.
Richard,
Smooth with pleasant soft aromas, one to keep on my self
guest,
Awesome taste complexity and flavor.
Randy,
This is a smooth and easy, definitely would like this one on my shelf.
Terry,
Very good taste, easy to drink, and love the bottle.
george,
very nice taste - different than the rest of my stash, good even with distilled water...
Danton,
Too harsh for my taste, as a novice I’d say if you’re a Beam fan than this might be up your ally.
Mitchell,
Not bad tasting, just not my favorite flavor. Love the history of the distillery.
Randy,
Superb. While the Stitzel-Weller labeling is a stretch nevertheless this is a very tasty bottle. Smooth and luscious with a long finish it has been a joy. Will purchase again.
Timothy,
Love it. It’s engineered and backed by big money - but don’t let that make you a hater. Just because it’s pretty doesn’t mean it’s not tasty.
seth,
Good smooth bourbon reminds me why I fell in love with bourbon in the first place
Stephan,
excellent Bourbon. One of my 'must haves'.
Troy,
Unremarkable. With the deep charamel color, I expected more oak and complexity; it was akin to a good red wine that’s lost it’s fruit.
Stephan,
Troy, you didn't like the Blade&Bow. What're your better ones at home?
Jeff,
One of the smoothest drinking bourbons I've tasted. Drink this straight. It's a shame to add even ice.
guest,
Super easy drinker. Incredibly tasty and complex for the price.
Ron,
Easy to drink. Hints of fruity sweetness. Finish is moderate with a mild spicy build.
Jon,
Excellent bourbon, reasonably priced and easy drinking.
John,
It was great, I have had number 1 and number 5
Jeff,
This is decent bourbon. Dropping the rating down because of the nonsense that this bourbon has anything to do with the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. That's a marketing ploy.
Calvin,
Great bourbon, smooth, flavorful, and balnaced. On the rocks with great conversation and the bottle will evaporate.
Nichole,
Another one of my favorites.
Very smooth. Great flavors.
Neat or on the rocks. You can't go wrong
Theresa,
One of my favorites straight up or as hot buttered bourbon.
Paul,
I'm a fan; it's pretty much fruity/sweet (apple, apricot) from start to it's short finish, smooth, not much bite or complexity, just a little bit of spice; making it an easy to drink, sweet bourbon.
Brian,
This is good stuff. One of my favorite daily drinkers. I put it up there with ETL and Weller 12 and Blanton’s Gold.
John,
Rough edged and not at all what I expected
Lee,
It was very smooth with a medium mouth feel
Richard,
Smooth and sweet with a nice spice. Definitely will buy again.
Ken,
Excellent choice for a bourbon with smo0th character to sip neat in front of the fireplace.
Ken,
Smooth drinking bourbon. Nice fruit and caramel with a hint of spice. I highly recommend this.
Matt,
Outstanding!
Tony,
Extremely smooth, subtly sweet and rich. Excellent bourbon on the rocks
Robert,
Surprisingly great notes at the start with a creamy and flavorful finish. A very good buy for the price!
Joel,
Unbelievably smooth! Quickly risen to the top of my favorites
Tom,
One of the smoothest tasted in my collection of 30+ bottles. For the price it can’t be beat.
Tom,
Blade and Bow does have a slight burn in the mouth, but it does go down smooth. As you go for your second and third drink you will start to notice the abundance of flavors. Was an amazing accompaniment to some rosemary olive oil almonds and cheese! Will buy again before it's all gone!
Roger,
What a great bourbon. Hands down has become one of my favorites. Smooth enough straight, and even smoother with an ice cube.
Todd,
An excellent & smooth Bourbon. I will look forward to purchasing it again.
Brandon,
Burn on the tongue, not throat, which is different, but enjoyable. Definitely nice fruit and caramel flavor. Would buy again for sure!
Shannon,
I honestly didn't appreciate it until I ate a few cashews with this. It really brought out the flavors for me with a huge apricot flavor.
Jonathan,
Excellent Bourbon, will buy again. Also good price point.
Brent,
One of my favorites.
Tom,
Incredible bourbon with a great finish and very smooth.
HERB,
A really smooth bourbon easy dtinking perfect!
Mr,
Very good. I love the spicy bite it has. I will be getting more.
Nick,
Very fine bourbon at this price point. Will buy again.
Jeremy,
Fantastic Bourbon! Super smooth and subtly sweet.
Jimmy,
The Flavor profile and smoothness is very surprising at this price point!
John,
Very nice flavor. I would buy again.
Dave,
This was an OK purchase, doesn’t have the complexity or the smoothness of others and has a bit more of a “hot” taste than I prefer
Jonathan,
Overall very good. To echo other reviews, it has a great smell and flavor. Would buy again.
Douglas,
Interestingly, I've had two bottles of this. The first was amazing, the second was really rough. I'm concerned with the consistency.
Alan,
Absolutely fantastic bourbon. By far one of my favorites! Extremely smooth, very satisfying.
Boone,
Nice smokey flavor!
Rich,
Not only does it taste great, it smells great. More aromatic than any other bourbon I’ve had before.
John,
Very smooth with a fine flavor
Marlon,
Yet another nicety and superb craftsmanship from the Stitzel-Weller Distillery.
Marilyn,
The bottle is sculpture, and the key lets you in. I love it! It does have bite, but it's very rich and has a hint of sweetness. A dropper of distilled water and it opens. I will order again.
Michael,
Not as smooth as I was led to believe, but pleasant. Definitely needs to breathe a little, but pour some in a glass for a few minutes and it really opens up.
Steven,
Loved it; smooth to the nose, pallet, tongue and tummy.
John,
pleasant aroma's when sniffed, legs on the glass when swirled, deep red color show the age and quality. goes down smooth, nice full flavor which lasts even when ice melts, and has a long finish that is spicy and cinnamon like.
Elliot,
Great bodied bourbon. Doesn't disappoint and lives up to the Stitzel name.
Rick,
A little harsh.
ronald,
Loved it, Solid Bourdon flavor
Luke,
Full flavor. Love the first taste of fruit. Great caramel aftertaste.
Lane,
Not as smooth as other reviewers lead on. Wonderful taste and mixes well.
Emmet,
This is a solid bourbon at this price Nice layers of rich flavors You can taste a reasonable amount of age. Worth adding to any serious bourbon collection.
Gale,
Not what I expected. Smooth but not very bold. I guess it's priced in line with some others I'd put in this category. Just not for me.
Leonard,
I loved it. Very smooth. On my list of favorites.
Jeff,
Fantastic bourbon! Definitely not disappointed. Worth every penny!
Ryan,
VERY smooth. Excellent description of flavor. Good for a nice night in.
Mr.,
How Profoundly Disappointing! Especially at it's higher price point.
I Really WANTED to like this, but I've tasted far more flavorful, full bodied and carefully crafted bourbons for one third the price!
It tastes like mega conglomerate Diagio, Trying to Live Off the Legend of Stitzel-Weller, thought they might be able to pull a fast one.
The Nose does create a very anticipatory feeling with a well oaked, fruit, cinnamon and spiced aroma that usually introduces the older and well crafted bourbons from S-W, but unfortunately that's where it ends.
The mouthfeel is thin and the palate begins weak remaining such all the way through. Suprisingly light bodied...and not in a good way.
There is some Vanilla and Carmel sweetness at the start followed with pepper, cinnamon spice and tartness beneath, but the flavors never really develop into much and just fall flat into a disappointingly, light and short finish.
It's not terrible, but I had expected so much more character and robust flavors from all the hype. It's might be acceptable for an old fashioned or maybe a mint julep if I weren't concerned it would be overwhelmed in those cocktails.
How truly sad.
Troy,
Nice and smooth
Eric,
Excellent taste and very smooth. Will definitely be getting more!
William,
If you don't like Blade and Bow, you probably don't like puppy dogs or Jesus either. Very smooth. Quite tasty. Buy some. You won't be disappointed.
Erik,
I received my first bottle as a gift and fell in love. Seeing it available again on Flaviar just made my day.
guest,
Exceptionally smooth
Samuel,
Just meh. Particularly bad finish. Look elsewhere
Rob,
Very pleasant nose. Pretty spicy. Nice little punch.
Tom,
I enjoyed this one neat. It's pretty smooth. Taste ran a little flat for me, but the aroma is nice.
Corey,
Blade and Bow was amazing. Lots of caramel and vanilla notes and a clean finish. The only bad part was that I had to wait a little more than a month to get it once my order was placed. I would buy it again however if I didn't have to wait so long to get it.
Charles,
Smooth
Finley,
Right from the first sip, I knew I had to get more of this. ( More bottles that is) I believe this is better than the Weller 12 yr. I feel it's alot better but I know everyone's taste buds are different. I prefer scotch over bourbon, but this is one I could drink regularly. I like the wheated Bourbons as they are slightly sweeter. ( Makers Mark and Weller and of course Pappy) I'm not very good at putting flavor profiles together, but this has a sweet almost bananna like aroma. I would say to anyone that loves bourbon or scotch, you must have a bottle of this in your collection. Get it now, because just like Weller (and of course Pappy) once the secret is out, this will be impossible to get as well!!!!
Matthew,
Nice spicy caramel on the finish. Instantly a favorite.
troy,
This bourbon has good flavor, and complexity. I like the collector side of it also! I went out and attained all 5 key bottles! It is so yummy though I might end up sipping them all!
guest,
Love this bourbon! The 22yo is even better!
Will,
Love it a great Bourbon!!!
guest,
I love Blade and Bow I just can't buy it here in Phoenix, AZ.
Joseph,
It is different but I like it It makes a good sipper for me and I like that. I will buy more if available Woody Neese
Shawn,
Excellent all around!
Jeff,
It was good, but the key does nothing.
Brian,
Strong, but smooth
Clinton,
Very good tasting but it lacks that 'bite' that would be the wow facto
Mr,
Comparable to Blantons, clean finish
guest,
One of the best in a while. Very smooth with an authentic flavor .
Nik,
Great bourbon. Love the rich flavor and subtle fruit notes.
Jay,
Great smooth
Eric,
Very balanced, nice even fire on the finish
Merrick,
Great stuff! Good neat or on ice
Billy,
Smooth. Great sipping bourbon
Eric,
Hot and nice flavor
Luke,
Very smooth.
Eric,
A smooth whiskey with a hint of malty sweetness. Absolutely delicious.
John,
Am a Rum drinker by preference. Never cared much for bourbons. Ordered this based on the reviews and to have something to share with my friends that are. WOW is all I can say, this will be a staple in my home until they run out!
Mr.,
My favorite bourbon... other than Van Winkle 12 yr Special Reserve. But it feels good to find a great bourbon without a big price tag that is well worth the money! Bought two bottles on a trip to Louisville, wish I would have bought a years supply. It will be a sad day when Flaviar doesn't carry this bourbon.
Jackson,
Smooth and sweet, not much complexity.
I don't buy into the marketing hype
Chad,
Delightfully strong upfront with subtle tones of Carmel and vanilla and a smooth finish very happy with it!
Eric,
The stuff of legend.
Julius,
Really premium. Amazing for the price point as well. How bourbon was mean to be made.
Jason,
So smooth and light with great flavor. One of my favorite bourbons!
guest,
Really enjoy it. I live in Louisville, KY and brought a bottle of Blade and Bow with me on vacation. It''s very nice, opens up nicely with a splash of water. Good price, too, as shelf price in Louisville is about $55, although Total Wines & Spirits has it for a few $$$ less. Many local people have relatives who worked at Stitzel Weller. I'm going to pick up several more bottles as soon as I get home. Get it while you can!
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