Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Review [In Depth]

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon

by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Details

Distillery: Unknown, probably sourced

Type & Region: Bourbon, Kentucky, USA

Alcohol: 50%

Composition: Unknown

Aged: At least 4 years

Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (chestnut, oloroso sherry)

Price: $55-60

From the company website:

The Cream of Kentucky brand was originally introduced in 1888 by I. Trager & Co. of Cincinnati, Ohio. Just prior to the end of Prohibition, the brand was acquired by the famed Schenley Company and subsequently re-introduced in 1934. Through the 1930s and 1940s Cream of Kentucky grew to become one of the leading bourbon brands, with renowned artist Norman Rockwell provided much of the award winning artwork for the brand during its heyday. Cream of Kentucky is now owned by J.W. Rutledge, and Jim has recently purchased a limited supply of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey he feels is worthy of the rebirth of Cream of Kentucky Bourbon as a premium whiskey.

2024 Small Batch Bourbon The 2024 Small Batch Bourbon, crafted under the guidance of Master Distiller Jim Rutledge, is a testament to Cream of Kentucky’s dedication to quality. Bottled at 100 proof, it presents a smooth blend of honeyed pome fruits, crème brûlée, and subtle hints of banana, with a soft oak finish. This release continues the brand’s tradition of excellence.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon overview

I’ll keep this introduction short and hopefully sweet. Cream of Kentucky is a brand that was revived by Jim Rutledge, who was the former master distiller at Four Roses. Over the years, there have been numerous Kentucky bourbon and rye releases, with some as old as 13-16 years old.

But at the end of the day, few distilleries / companies can only sell 12+ year old bourbon…it’s just not how it works anymore. That was a thing before maybe before the 2000’s, when Jim was working at Four Roses, but there’s too much demand and 12 years is a long ass time to wait.

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And so, Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon was released to offer a not so expensive bourbon, yet maintain the craftsmanship associated with Jim Rutledge. The bourbon becomes less expensive by using younger bourbon. In this case, I expect that the bourbon is at least 4 years old. While Kentucky Straight bourbon implies that it’s at least 2 years old and I don’t have a whole bottle on me to check the label for an age statement, I suspect that the $55+ price tag means that it’s at least 4 years old, if not older.

Let’s find out if the more affordable bourbon from Jim Rutledge hits the mark in this Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon review.

This sample was provided at no cost to me. All opinions are still my own.

As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon smell

There’s toasted honey, vanilla, white peach, toasted oak, baked red apple, cinnamon, licorice, starfruit, darker caramel nougat, leather, orange and a little bubblegum and mint. Ah, I’ve smelled a lot of bourbons like this, meaning relatively young bourbon that doesn’t feel that mature or developed, yet doesn’t feel immature and off either.

The scents have decent richness and variety, but not much complexity or depth. I still enjoy them for what they are, but it’s just not a particularly compelling or amazing experience so far. I couldn’t pick this out of a lineup.

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After swirling and rest, there’s caramel, vanilla, a little bit of dark cola, roasted oak, cinnamon, allspice, baked red apple, coffee, orange peel with a hint of brightness, cherry, and some licorice.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon is a little more dark sweetness this time, but it more or less feels the same as before. The range is good, but the depth and fullness are just ok. I wish that it had better developed sweetness. Nothing is out of balance, but nothing stands out either.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon taste and aftertaste

I initially taste caramel, vanilla, baked red apple, roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, leather, darker caramel nougat, coffee, orange peel, and some popcorn. I usually have a negative association when bourbon has some popcorn-like flavors, but it’s fine here.

The flavors have a little more life and depth to them, but it still feels relatively young and not that developed. There’s a bit more oak and leather in the flavors than in the scents, but I do with that the sweetness and fruitiness were more bold. It’s not flat though, but not necessarily a whole lot better than that either.

Again, I’ve had quite a few bourbons that more or less tasted like this, so I really couldn’t pick this out in a blind comparison. Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon tastes good, but is far from unique.

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After “chewing”, I taste caramel, vanilla, baked red apple, roasted oak, allspice, cinnamon, more mint this time, fennel, and some roasted coffee and grains. This is noticeably more minty than it was the first time.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon opens up some, but still nothing pops out. It’s an enjoyable enough mix of sweetness, oakiness, spiciness, and a little bit of fruitiness, but nothing stands out to get my attention. I’ve had bourbons like this before, and I’ll probably have more of them in the future.

The finish leaves lingering vanilla, caramel nougat, toasted oak, cinnamon, and red apple peel. After “chewing”, it leaves lingering roasted oak, leather, cinnamon, and red apple peel.

Enjoyably non-descript is the best description.

I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too. Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.

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Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon Rating

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon is enjoyably nondescript. What it means is that the scents and flavors have some enjoyable qualities, but nothing about it provides a compelling, unique, or interesting experience. It’s not bad, bland, or unpleasant, but on the flip side there’s no real reason to go back to it. It’s just nondescript and would blend in with a range of other 4-ish year old bourbons from across the US.

My biggest critique, and one I mentioned fairly often at this point (like in my last sentence), is that it feels like so many other bourbons out there. I’m not going to call any out by name, but 4-ish year old Kentucky bourbon is a dime a dozen at this point. There is so much of it out there, and then there’s all the craft distilleries across the US that also have 4-8 year old bourbon. It’s just…not that interesting anymore. This probably would have been hugely popular in 2020 or 2021, but the stakes have been raised over the years.

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I can’t say for sure that the bourbon in here is 4 years old, but I trust my senses enough to guess that it’s at most maybe 5 years old…with ok barrel selection.

I get it, these businesses need to sell some of their less good stock at a somewhat lower price, although $55-60 is still not what I would call affordable, to keep the cash flow coming. The problem is that the end result is just decent.

Jim Rutledge can do better…Cream of Kentucky can do better. You can’t rely on Jim Rutledge’s name to carry the brand forever, the quality of the liquid inside the not so expensive bottle still has to provide a good enough level of quality. This isn’t it.

Cream of Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon is an easy pass and honestly an uninspiring attempt at making something less expensive. This is maybe $25-30 good. If you want worthwhile Kentucky bourbon, go buy Benchmark Bonded, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon, Bardstown Bourbon Company Bottled in Bond Wheated Bourbon, Jeptha Creed Red White and Blue, Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, or any number of better bourbons instead.

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Meet the Author: Alex

I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.

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