Bulleit 10, also called Bulleit 10 Year, is the same juice as regular Bulleit Bourbon but aged an additional 4 years. We have always liked the Bulleit products, especially their Rye, and consider them to be a good drink at a fair price.
While Bulleit Bourbon and Bulleit Rye are widely available, the 10 Year is sometimes a little harder to track down. Bulleit 10 comes in the same cool, old fashioned looking bottle as the other two expressions. It’s bottled at 91.2 proof, sells in the low $40 range and is aged for, you got it, 10 years.
NOSE
Ron: Nothing jumping out, all aromas are very slight. Having said that, I get hints of cedar, coffee, pepper and a little vanilla. Very strange, but I get a whiff of gunpowder, like after discharging a weapon or setting off fireworks. I lost this gunpowder aroma once I added ice.
Todd: Nice, better than I remembered, have to agree with Ron though, nothing stands out. A little brown sugar, a little caramel, a little pepper, and a soft oaky aroma. No gunpowder here.
TASTE
Ron: Very hot neat, I’m having to really reach to get specific tastes. Comes across as clean and spicy with a touch of anise and oak.
Todd: Agree about having to reach. Slight, smooth tastes of burnt sugar, sherry, wood and pepper. All very subtle.
FINISH
Ron: Medium at best with some mustiness.
Too: Medium to medium-long, agree with Ron on the mustiness.
OVERALL
Ron: Definitely a different drink than the regular Bulleit Bourbon, not sure if it is necessarily better though or worth the premium for the older juice.
Todd: I expected more bold flavors from a 10 year old drink, especially since the regular Bulleit Bourbon has a lot of flavors.
Nose 4 out of 5
Taste 7.5 out of 10
Finish 4 out of 5
Total 15.5 out of 20 Barrels.
While Bulleit 10 is a good Bourbon, we see no reason to spend the extra $12 to $17 to buy this over the other two Bulleit Whiskeys. If they were the same price or at least closer, it would then just be a matter of personal preference.
Our final thought is that if money is no issue, wouldn’t that be great, go out and buy a bottle. But since we have repeatedly stated that we do in fact take price in consideration, stick with the original.