Kentucky-based Jackson Purchase Distillery (JPD) is now putting the first bottles of its own Jackson Purchase Bourbon onto retail shelves.
While the brand is new to the market, JPD has been distilling bourbon in Hickman, KY since 2021, led by master distiller Craig Beam (longtime master distiller at Heaven Hill and recent Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee) and Terry Ballard, former head distiller for Willett, as the assistant master distiller, according to the distillery.
“With the average temperature here being 4-5 degrees higher than the rest of the state, we can’t believe how quickly our whiskey has taken on a deep color and rich flavor,” said Beam in a news release. “At four years old, I’d put Jackson Purchase Bourbon up against most 8-10 year old bourbons on the market.”
“We built our business around the bourbon first, not marketing or visitors,” added CEO Lloyd Jones. “By offering a limited number of bottles on the retail market, we’re giving bourbon drinkers a rare opportunity to taste for themselves what we can do.”
For the barrels used in the first release, Beam and Ballard created a mash bill of 70% corn, 20% rye and 10% malted barley, according to the distillery. The bourbon aged for four years in new white oak barrels with a #4 char, entering at 120 proof with the final bottling at 117.8 proof. The spirit features hints of cinnamon spice, bananas, vanilla, caramel and oak and is available on select retail shelves in Kentucky for $59.
