FOOD NEWS
Yellowstone Whiskey Select: The Ultimate Bottle Guide
BY KENNY JARVIS
Namesake
Yellowstone Select Bourbon is the flagship bottle of Kentucky’s Limestone Brand Distillery, and as you’d guess, it’s named after Yellowstone National Park.
The bourbon shares the raw spirit of the park it’s named after with notes of caramel and oak. The brand has donated almost $500,000 to protect national parks since 2018.
History
Created in 1872 by J.B. Dant, a prominent figure in the industry, the bourbon was an almost immediate success thanks to its distinct flavor and craftsmanship.
After surviving prohibition by selling medicinal whiskey, the brand was bought and sold many times until it found a home in 2015 at Limestone Branch Distillery.
Rise and Fall
In the 1960s and '70s, bourbon and Yellowstone in particular were widely popular, but in the '80s, liquors like vodka and tequila started taking over the market.
To revive the brand, Paul and Stephen Beam (descendants of Jim Beam) recrafted the spirit in 2015 to restore its popularity, which seems to have worked.
Production
Not surprisingly, Yellowstone is made of the same mash bill as Jim Beam, composed of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% barley distilled in pot stills for a richer flavor.
After distillation, the best of the spirit is aged in new charred oak barrels. The final product is a blend of whiskey aged four and seven years, which is then bottled.
Unique Yeast
Each distillery uses a unique yeast or combination of yeast to make whiskey. For Yellowstone, the Beam brothers searched for old yeast the original Jim Beam used.
They did this by finding yeast in an old yeast jug displayed at a museum, which they now use to give Yellowstone a distinct link to the past while imparting unique flavor nuances.