Tasting: 2 New Bourbons from 15 Stars (Timeless Reserve, Three Kings)

I haven’t been very shy about my effusive praise for quite a few releases from 15 Stars Fine Aged Bourbon in the last few years. I’ve now tasted enough of these limited release batches to come to a consensus that 15 Stars is easily one of the best non-distiller producers (NDPs) operating in the American whiskey scene today, albeit certainly not the cheapest. Their offerings are on the luxe side; there’s no getting around that, and as far as I’m aware they haven’t offered any blend with a price tag of less than $100 so far. This continues to be the case with the new tandem release of 15 Stars Three Kings and 15 Stars Timeless Reserve, two new, quite different blends that are exploring two different potential niches in the market.

The Three Kings is perhaps the more novel of the two, being something that the company has never brought together before: A bourbon-rye-wheat whiskey blend. You’re familiar with “bourye”? Well, this is … bouwheayre? Wheryebon? I don’t know, but it’s something you don’t see too often. I have occasionally wondered when and if wheat whiskey would get more play within the American whiskey geek world–it seems odd that it tends to be so ignored, particularly when folks go so nuts about wheated bourbon. Perhaps it will take Buffalo Trace producing a wheat whiskey to make so many bourbon geeks care, but in the rest of the whiskey world it does seem like more people are taking notice of wheat whiskey’s potential.

15 Stars Timeless Reserve, on the other hand, is simplicity itself: Just a luxe blend of well-aged Kentucky bourbons with a minimum 13 year age statement. One can question: Are there too many of these on the market to support a $280 MSRP? But that never seems to stop this sort of thing from quickly selling out. So with that said, let’s taste these two new expressions.

15 Stars Three Kings

ABV: 53.5% ABV (107 proof)
MSRP: $180

As stated above, Three Kings is a blend of bourbon, rye and wheat whiskey, with the bottle noting it is sourced from Kentucky and Indiana–one has to wonder where each of the individual liquids came from with that information, given that MGP produces so many mash bills. Perhaps they just chipped in the rye? Regardless, this carries an 11 year age statement but notes that it is a blend of 11 and 15-year-old distillate, bottled at a robust 53.5% ABV (107 proof). We don’t have percentages for the distillate in this blend.

On the nose, what stands out here is the deep, rich fruitiness and preponderance of caramelized sugar notes. Vinous dark fruit is a major player, with a character that feels cooked down and syrupy, with notes of date, cherry and plum. It almost evokes a port wine-type nose, with considerable sweetness. There’s also very dark caramel and crispy baked digestive biscuits (perhaps a wheat whiskey contribution), along with cocoa and hints of musty oak. A modest sting of ethanol does hint at the proof some here.

On the palate, the sweet and fruity profile carries over, evoking pie filling with dark fruits (blackberry, cherry, plum), vanilla pudding, caramel sauce and black pepper with moderate heat and a tinge of chile-like tingling spice. It’s almost a bit on the hot side, actually, or perhaps the better word would simply be “rambunctious.” Roasted oak becomes a dominant player on the back end, with a long, oaky finish that slowly leads the sip in the direction of dryness. This release will be most appreciated by lovers of fruit-forward bourbon in particular.

15 Stars Timeless Reserve Bourbon

ABV: 51.5% (103 proof)
MSRP: $280

In comparison with the somewhat experimental status of the Three Kings, 15 Stars Timeless Reserve is very straightforward, being exclusively a product of Kentucky. This describes itself as “a blend of Kentucky Straight Bourbons aged at least 13 years,” but unlike the Three Kings doesn’t hint at any of the older distillate in the blend. It weighs in at a similar 51.5% ABV (103 proof), but carries an especially advanced price point of $280, which is equal to what I believe is the most expensive 15 Stars blend to date, the exceptional 15 Stars Platinum. Here’s hoping that this one can equal it.

On the nose, this one really indulges in heavy caramel and vanilla. There’s a lot of nuttiness as well; glazed pecans and caramel-covered nut bars. Fruity highlights show up in the form of orange peel and a little medicinal cherry, while notes of maturity are there in antique oak and more than a little leather, with hints of herbal rye. This is a very classic extra-aged Kentucky bourbon kind of nose, increasingly trending toward sweet impressions like toasted marshmallow and maybe a little bananas foster.

On the palate, this is actually quite nutty at first, with honey glazed nuts and citrus, joined by the distinct impression of dried banana chips. I’m getting vanilla bean and certainly plenty of caramel, supported by a viscous texture. It then turns toward the savory and more specifically leathery side, with quite a lot of antique leather, pipe tobacco and a more savory oak dimension, with delicate tannin. Ethanol on this one is notably more gentle than in the Three Kings, and the overall impression is one where the flavors are more integrated and balanced overall. It may be a tad less bold in its delivery than the Three Kings, but I appreciate some of the classic structure here, and its elegant integration of alcohol and oak. I’m not sure this is quite the equal of the 15 Stars Platinum–further testing necessary–but it’s another worthy entry in the limited release series from one of the best blenders in the game today.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.