Talking Bourbon is once again going local. This time it is Moon Drops Distillery’s Single Barrel Bourbon made in Fortville Indiana which is just northeast of Indianapolis. We don’t know much about this place, so from their website, “At its core, Moon Drops Distillery is the story of family and friends bonding together over years of shared drinks, happy memories, and the type of conversations that stretch into the early morning hours. Through these shared experiences and conversations over a bonfire, the idea of Moon Drops Distillery was born. We knew we had a long road ahead of ourselves, so we rolled up our sleeves and got to work.”
This single barrel product sells for around $50 for the 750ml, aged just over 5 years, bottled at 100 proof, comes in a fairly standard corked bottle, and is probably hard to find outside of Indiana, but we don’t know this. If not at your local stores, maybe you can get it through a delivery service.
Strange, being so close, neither of us had heard of this distillery until very recently. We bring this up on account that the Bottle states that the Bourbon is over 5 years old. We both find it hard to believe that it has been in business that long while staying under our radar. Maybe you can start the Bourbon making process before actually opening? We know we should do our due diligence and find these things out, but we just want to drink.
NOSE
Todd: A smooth caramel aroma hits you first, followed by honey and a slight bit of mint. I also get a scent that I can only describe as oily. A little ice brings out a bit of an earthy smell.
Matt: Don’t get anything that really jumps out at me. A little bit of grain or bread along with some leather. I don’t pick up on the oil, but I did get a little butter, I wonder if we are picking out the same thing?
TASTE
Todd: Caramel and an overall sweetness are about the only thing I got neat. Adding ice though, brought out flavors of red fruit, leather, and that same earthiness that I got on the nose. Not bad.
Matt: Mild, traditional Bourbon tastes that include toffee, caramel, and leather. Ice opened up the flavors a bit but did not offer anything new.
FINISH
Todd: Medium long with more caramel.
Matt: A sweet medium finish.
OVERALL
Todd: Not a bad Bourbon but not a real good Bourbon either. I don’t find anything that would separate this product from the hundreds of other offerings out there.
Matt: Mild but enjoyable. I like it, but as a newer distillery, not sure it is ready to compete at this price point.
Nose 4 out of 5
Taste 7.25 out of 10
Finish 4 out of 5
Total score 15.25 out of twenty barrels.
Kind of like Hard Truth Bourbon that we reviewed a few weeks ago, the main draw of this particular Bourbon is that it is local and somewhat hard to find. Both make it a talking point. As mentioned above, there is nothing that really sets it apart from others at or below this price point. Being on the milder side does make it a good introduction to your friends who are just now getting interested in Bourbon (slackers). Moon Drops also makes a regular non-single barrel Bourbon that we would both like to taste.
All in all, $50 is not a great sum for a lot of people to pay for something they like, but it is still $50. If you take out the novelty of the item, we did not like it enough to pay that. Maybe you will.