Stellum Black Bourbon Review

Stellum Spirits is a second brand of Barrell Craft Spirits which was launched in March of 2021 with their “Blue” label brands, and then they released their Stellum Black Bourbon & Stellum Black Rye labels in December of 2021, featuring a more high-end product offered at cask strength. Similar to their Barrell Spirits products, Stellum products are blended straight bourbons & ryes, featuring blended whiskeys from a variety of states and/or distilleries. Let’s pour a glass and dive into the Stellum Black Bourbon review!

Classification: Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskeys
Series: “Black”
Age: nas
Proof: 109.22
Proof Designation: Cask Strength
Filtered Status: Chill Filtered
Mash bill: Blend of 3 straight MGP bourbon mash bills plus 2 older bourbons from Tennessee & Kentucky
Distillery: Undisclosed distilleries in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee
Company: Stellum Spirits
Bottled By: Stellum Spirits, Louisville, KY
Release Date: December 2021
MSRP: $100 (2022)
Availability: Easy to Find

Stellum Black Bourbon Review

My tasting reviews are unique in that I include the notes of several well-known whiskey critics. The hope is that this format will help me and others to explore and expand their tasting experience. After you have taken your own tasting notes, read the reviews and see if there is a flavor note that others discerned that now you can detect as well.

Appearance

Chestnut color (1.2 on the color scale). In a Glencairn, a swirl produces a very nice oily crown with long legs.

Nose

Fruit forward nose, green apple, apricot, fig, caramel, vanilla, hint of cedar, rye grain.

Other Reviewer’s Perceptions

Breaking Bourbon: Upfront scents of vanilla and caramel… baking spices, allspice, and a dash of cinnamon add a layer of spice, but yield to the sweeter aromas underneath. Even keel and inviting.

Whiskey Raiders: Huge maple hit on the nose. Baking spice, toffee, tobacco, pecan, oak. All spice, clove, dessert. Not too oaky.

Embrace the Bourbon: Orange peel, poached pear, licorice and a peppery undertone. There is a definitive sweetness lying in the undertones. It’s very warm and welcoming and reflects a traditional bourbon feel.

Palate

Semi-sweet with a drying effect, spicy, baking spices, apple, nutmeg, white pepper, caramel, fig, bit of rye grain flavor, spicy oak, maple syrup.

Other Reviewer’s Perceptions

Breaking Bourbon: Flavors of sweet vanilla and caramel along with a hint of aged oak set the tone. Light cinnamon, a hint of clove, and a noticeable sweet candy note (though I can’t quite pinpoint it), add dimension. Most impressive, however, is the mouthfeel and intensity. It has a heavy weight with a nice, round mouthfeel and plenty of body.

Whiskey Raiders: Rich toffee on the palate, viscous and powerful, thick and decadent. This reminds me of those 15yr Knob Creek’s. Musty, lightly nutty, bold tobacco, pound cake, corn syrup and buttery pecan. Oh boy.

Embrace the Bourbon: It’s big at the beginning with a little harshness coming from its cask strength. It’s not light on the tongue, but sits heavy. It has a heavy layer of chocolate, nuts, pepper and oak right as it passes through.

Finish

Long finish, Semi-sweet, caramel, mild oak, mild baking spices, maple syrup.

Other Reviewer’s Perceptions

Breaking Bourbon: The palate’s round mouthfeel continues into the finish, with a steady base of sweet caramel and vanilla complemented by a touch of brown sugar, toffee, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Whiskey Raiders: Long finish, dry and oaky with tons of backing spice, nougat, butterscotch and toffee.

Embrace the Bourbon: Cigar, cinnamon, smoke and wine coating your mouth with a lingering medium heat up to 13 seconds. The real winner here is the finish as it shows so much of its character. It’s deep and complex…

The Burn

4 out of 5. This means that the burn from the alcohol is a bit lower (5% to 9%) than what I would expect it to be. I would guess this to be around 100 proof, not 109.22 proof.

Notes and History

Stellum Black Bourbon is a blend of 3 different MGP mashbills from Indiana (2 that are high-rye, and the 3rd one being mostly corn) plus 2 additional older bourbons from Tennessee & Kentucky. They use a very meticulous blending process called the Daisy Chain Blending Technique. They blend a large portion together and then top it off with the same recipe, making adjustments with other cask-strength barrels for taste & proof consistency.

The Stellum brand includes a lot of options including Stellum Blue Bourbon, Stellum Blue Rye, Stellum Black Bourbon, Stellum Black Rye, Stellum Single Barrel Bourbon, Stellum Single Barrel Rye, and a variety of special releases.

Rating

The higher the score the better, more available, or closer to MSRP the whiskey should be.

Score Type	Score	Examples
Likability Score	8.4	1.0 – 10.0
Availability Score	4	1-Rare, 2-Hard to Find, 3-A Little Hunting, 4-Easy to Find
After Market $ Score	3	1-Pappy Van Winkle, 2-Stagg Jr, 3-Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, 4-Always at MSRP

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