Country – Region: USA – Kentucky
Distillery: Wilderness Trail
Bottler: Luca Mariano
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Age: 4
Cask: American White Oak
ABV: 41.5%
Proof: 83
Price: $45

Nose: Restrained nose with vanilla, citrus, toffee

Palate: Thin, diluted, corn, kettle corn, sweet, cereal, ginger

Finish: Cherries, black pepper, vanilla

Luca Mariano Distillery is an Italian story rooting in Kentucky, trying to bring Italian inspired bourbon and rye from the family recipes of Francesco S. Viola. Currently, the distillery is being built and LMD partnered up with Wilderness Trail Distillery to create their whiskies. I have received 5 of their expressions and will be reviewing them one by one.

• Luca Mariano Single Barrel Bourbon
• Luca Mariano Signature Bourbon
• Luca Mariano Old Americana Rye Whiskey
• Luca Mariano Single Barrel Rye Whiskey

How Does It Taste?

Luca Mariano Old Americana Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey is bottled at 83 proof and aged for at least four years. LMD is telling us that it has a high rye mash bill.

The nose is pretty much restrained and needed more than 5-6 minutes to open up. Vanilla, citrus and toffee are the dominant flavors. The palate is thin and feels diluted. Sweet corn, kettle corn, cereal and ginger are felt. The finish has hint of cherries, black pepper, vanilla and oak.

Verdict

I am not very much sold on this. The finish was the most impressive part of the tasting. The nose is simple and the palate is dull for sipping it neat despite the vanilla sweetness. I can see that increasing the proof can solve some of these issues.

I believe this bourbon can be a nice base for a sweet and sour cocktail.