Table Of Contents
The Details
| Rating | 96 |
| Style |
Bourbon American Whiskey Whiskey |
| Produced In |
Kentucky United States |
| ABV | 59.2% |
| Availability | Limited |
| Price | $189.99 |
| Reviewed By | |
| Review Updated | 2024-04-04 |
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon Review
Since it opened doors in 2018, Bardstown’s Lux Row Distillers has become known among connoisseurs for two things: breathing new life into legacy brands, and sourcing whiskey for premium blends. Two of its brands with long histories include Ezra Brooks and Rebel (formerly Rebel Yell). On the other end of the spectrum lies Blood Oath, a high end sourced line bottled under the guidance of master distiller and master blender John Rempe.
(A quick note for those keeping tabs on the business of bourbon: Lux Row parent company Luxco was acquired by MGP Ingredients in 2021.)
A more under-the-radar Lux Row series is the Double Barrel line, available in both non-age stated and 12-year offerings. Today, we’re taking a look at the 12-year edition, which was initially released in 2018 to commemorate the distillery’s opening.
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon is an interesting creature in the whiskey landscape. Each bottle contains a blend of two different barrels, both aged around 12 years. (Barrel numbers and barreling dates are indicated on the front of each bottle.) These barrels were all sourced from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery (or distilleries). For the bottle we sampled, both barrels were laid down on July 26, 2010.
Here’s where things get a bit interesting: Though the release is labeled “cask strength,” each two-barrel blend comes in at exactly 118.4 proof, a nod to the distillery’s opening in April 2018. It’s worth noting that “cask strength” is generally not considered a regulated term in American whiskey. According to TTB guidelines, “barrel proof” — often used interchangeably with “cask strength” — indicates a bottle proof “not more than two degrees lower than the proof established at the time the spirits were gauged for tax determination.”
Legally, that leaves some wiggle room for brands to slightly proof down their whiskey to reach consistency across various batches and bottles. Hence, the possibility of listing the same proof across many two-barrel blends.
I could talk about whiskey regulations all day, but we still have bourbon to taste! Let’s see how Lux Row’s 12 year commemorative offering stands up.
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon: Stats and Availability
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon was initially a limited release of around 6,000 bottles, available only in Kentucky. (And primarily at Lux Row’s Bardstown distillery gift shop.) Since then, the distillery has gradually released bottles from later barreling dates in limited quantities, maintaining the 12 year age statement. Compared to its better known (and more widely distributed) cousin Blood Oath, Double Barrel Bourbon is still somewhat unknown among whiskey fans. Frankly, that could be because relatively few people have been able to taste this blend of sourced bourbons.
The current retail price is $189.99, and bottles are only available in limited supply in Kentucky, with the primary outlet being Lux Row’s distillery gift shop.
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon Review
As with all of VinePair’s whiskey reviews, this was tasted in a Glencairn glass and rested for at least five minutes.
Nose
The nose is potent and spreads quickly. Though I always let the whiskey rest for five minutes before starting a review, it’s impossible to ignore the scents emanating from the uncorked bottle and Glencairn glass. Once nosing officially begins, it’s a quartet of classic bourbon scents: leather, tobacco, dark chocolate, and cherry in several forms.
At first the nose leans more heavily tannic, the tobacco and leather reinforced by dark oak as well as a light pine aroma. That’s followed by greater influence from the chocolate, like a very dark, flourless cake dusted with additional cocoa. Light spice in the form of clove is up next, again intermingled with wood influence. A progression of aromatic herbs follows: rosemary, sage, and mint. It’s a bit earthy, a bit vegetal, and unabashedly rich.
Across each return to the glass is a consistency in that cherry scent. (Or more accurately scents, as black cherry, cherry cough syrup, and candied cherry are all accounted for here.)
Lux Row’s 12 year, two-barrel blend starts strong on the nose and pulls no punches. It’s both pungent and luxurious, clearly nosing a cut (or two) above most other cask strength bourbons on the market today.
Taste
The initial sip is subdued compared to the nose. However, things shift rapidly once the tongue is a little more acclimated, with flavors quickly dialing up. The first notable flavors are — again — that rich chocolate element coupled with a peppery, borderline-mesquite barbecue. Spice recedes a tad to reveal cherry, blackberry, and juicy Cosmic Crisp apple.
Vanilla, caramel, and (to a slightly lesser extent) molasses float across the tongue via a syrupy mouthfeel that’s both proof-appropriate and pleasing. Sweetness stays consistent through the sip, punctuating flavors from the tip of the tongue to the midpalate and even further back.
Speaking of the midplate experience: chocolate makes a bold return, here milkier and lighter than at the tip of the tongue.
On the palate, Lux Row has struck a great balance between sweet and spice. Oaky, tannic influence pulls flavors in a third direction, creating a remarkably three-dimensional experience with each sip.
Finish
A great nose and equally impressive palate fade slightly on the finish, which is (only slightly) shorter and flatter than I was hoping for. Things improve with additional sips, with clove and cinnamon spice building over time. Eventually, the imprint of chocolate and cherry remains for nearly a minute after swallowing, along with a surprisingly mild (but still noticeable) amount of oak.
Lux Row 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon Rating
96/100
Recap
Lux Row’s 12 Year Double Barrel Bourbon was initially a limited, commemorative release. The distillery has continued to drip out this sourced product in limited quantities, and I hope it continues for as long as stocks allow. The bottle sampled brought remarkable depth in virtually every aspect of the drinking experience. Save for a very small dip on the finish, scents and flavors hit on high notes throughout. It’s the sort of bold, brash profile that can help one fall in love with American whiskey all over again.
In the grand scheme of whiskey, Lux Row is still a relative newcomer. It will be some time before their in-house distillate hits the age needed for a release like this. But if the 12 Year Double Barrel is any indication of their quality standards, there could be a lot to look forward to from the MGP-owned operation. I’m certainly staying tuned in.
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