Beehive Distilling - Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Beehive Distilling, located in Salt Lake City, UT, has been producing excellent gin and barrel-aged gin for over a decade. Now they offer their own straight bourbon whiskey, made from Oaxacan Green corn, rye, and barley, all grown and sourced from local farmers. It has been aged for a minimum of four years in new American oak barrels and is bottled at 46% ABV for $45. I am tasting this Batch #4 bottle neat. The glass shows a dark rosy copper color with strong coating legs. The aroma is of sweet brown sugar, vanilla oak, and bubble gum, with a faint hint of spice in the background. On the palate, there is white sugar sweetness, astringent oak, vanilla, followed by a wave of baking spices. The texture is rather thin and slightly hot for this alcohol content. The finish begins from that astringent and spicy point, with a touch of stone/dried fruit sweetness and a distinct spearmint tingle. The mouthfeel is long and tingling. Once the astringent tannic oak char fades, the finish becomes quite enjoyable. I am not opposed to oaky whiskies, but this crosses the line between a pleasant aroma and an interesting finish. It's difficult to drink past that initial palate. Adding ice doesn't significantly alter that flaw, but makes it easier to sip. I am optimistic that the team at Beehive will continue to refine this new product, which is grown, distilled, aged, and bottled in Utah. Cheers to that!