Kentucky Artisan Distillery, Jefferson’s, and the Clubhouse Cask Tasting: Blog # 47 – Many Mash Bills – One Preference.

Welcome back to Bourbon and BS, the podcast where we dive deep into the world of spirits, one shot at a time. I’m Mike Foti, Founder and Director of the Bison Bourbon and Spirits Training Company — where my mission is simple: It’s to help you Master Spirits and Guide Choices.

In previous blogs and podcasts I discussed how grain selection, aka the mash bills, shape what’s in your glass.  The Kentucky Artisan Distillery has a cask strength tasting experience that really shows you the impact of grain on the final product.  It also helps you identify or clarify your own preferences.

The Kentucky Artisan Distillery doesn’t announce itself with the grandiosity you might expect from a place that produces some of the most recognizable bourbon in America. When I pulled up, it felt more like arriving at a working farm than a distillery. Grain trucks come in from Waldeck Farm, the smell of warm corn drifting through the air, and a quiet hum of activity that told me real whiskey was being made here, not just marketed.

That simplicity is exactly what makes the place special. It’s hands‑on, small‑scale, and built for creativity. And that’s why Jefferson’s Bourbon chose it as home.

Jefferson’s and the Artisan Way

It’s widely known that Jefferson’s is a firm that loves to experiment — blending, finishing, ocean aging, mash bill tinkering. But standing inside Kentucky Artisan Distillery, I finally understood how those experiments are possible. This place isn’t locked into the rigid production schedules of the big Kentucky distilleries. It’s flexible. It’s curious. It’s willing to try things.

Jefferson’s Reserve is distilled, aged, and bottled here. So are the components that eventually become their more complex blends. One of those components even ends up in Marian McLain, Trey Zoeller’s tribute to his great‑great‑grandmother who was one of the earliest documented women convicted of illicit distillation and bootlegging, with a recorded arrest in 1799. Her story is rebellious and entrepreneurial, and it fits perfectly with the spirit of Kentucky Artisan. Knowing that part of her namesake bourbon is distilled here made the place feel even more connected to Jefferson’s history.

Stepping Into the Clubhouse

When I stepped into the Clubhouse, I immediately felt the difference. This wasn’t a polished tasting room designed for tourists. It was a working space — barrels lined up like instruments, an employee pulling whiskey straight from the cask, and grain grown just down the road forming the backbone of every mash bill. 

I have become selective about the tours and/or tasting events, I participate in.  I am looking for unique experiences based on grains, fermentation, yeast, distillation and other production differences.  I do not want more of the same.  It was the mash bills that caught my attention to go to KAD.

The experience was intentionally raw. No fancy staging. No scripted marketing lines. Just whiskey, grain, wood, and the people who make it.  I moved through five barrels, each representing a different mash bill:

I.  🥃 Wheated Bourbon

Mash Bill:

·       70% corn, 20% wheat, 10% malted barley

ABV / Proof:  56% ABV/112 proof

My Notes: The only one I truly liked—soft, sweet, rounded, and very drinkable straight from the barrel.

II. 🥃 Four‑Grain Bourbon

Mash Bill:

·       67% corn, 12.5% rye, 12.5% wheat, 8% malted barley

ABV / Proof:  55% ABV/110 proof

My Notes: Complex and layered, but it still didn’t click for me the way the wheated bourbon did.

III. 🥃 High‑Rye Bourbon

Mash Bill:

·       60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley

ABV / Proof: 59% ABV/118 proof

My Notes: Very spicy and assertive—interesting from a technical standpoint, but not my preferred profile.

IV. 🥃 Rye Whiskey

Mash Bill:

·       95% rye, 5% malted barley

ABV / Proof:  54.5% ABV/109 proof

My Notes: Bold, grain‑forward, and aggressive. A strong rye, but not something I’d reach for regularly.

V. 🥃 Single Malt

Mash Bill:

·       100% malted barley

ABV / Proof: 55% ABV/110 proof

My Notes: Malty, cereal‑driven, with a richer mid‑palate. Interesting, but still not my favorite compared to the wheated bourbon.

Each pour came from the cask and was a lesson in how dramatically grain shapes flavor. Listening to the employee talk about the farm, the soil, the growing season, and the way wheat softens a bourbon while rye sharpens it, I knew I wasn’t just tasting whiskey — I was tasting decisions.

The Moment My Palate Spoke Up

As I worked through the lineup, something became clear: only the wheated bourbon truly

resonated with me.

It wasn’t subtle. The wheated mash bill hit my palate with a round, warm sweetness — soft caramel, gentle grain, a smooth mid‑palate that felt welcoming rather than demanding. It didn’t challenge me. It didn’t push spice or sharpness. It simply tasted right. This surprised me because the abv was 56%.

The others were interesting, but they didn’t land the same way. The high‑rye bourbon was too sharp and spicy. The four‑grain felt complex but unfocused. The rye whiskey was bold and grain‑forward, almost aggressive. And the single malt, while beautifully crafted, leaned into a malty profile and tasted as if the head cut had been made a little to late so it wasn’t my preference.

But the wheated bourbon? That one felt like home.

In a room designed to showcase grain diversity, my palate made its choice with absolute clarity. 

Why That Discovery Matters

My reaction wasn’t just personal preference — it was exactly the kind of insight Kentucky Artisan Distillery wants visitors to walk away with.  I also walked away with a hand filled bottle of the wheated product for an amazingly low cost of $60.

Mash bill matters. Grain matters. Texture matters. And tasting whiskey straight from the barrel reveals those truths more clearly than any finished bottle ever could.

The wheated bourbon I gravitated toward is also the style that often forms the backbone of Jefferson’s softer, sweeter expressions. It’s the kind of whiskey that balances out the sharper or older components in blends like Marian McLain. In other words, my palate naturally aligned with one of Jefferson’s core blending philosophies.

What I Took Away from the Experience

When I left the Clubhouse, I wasn’t just leaving a tasting. I was leaving with a deeper understanding of how Jefferson’s is made, why Kentucky Artisan Distillery matters, and how my own palate continues to fit into the broader style of the bourbon I enjoy.  It’s not that any product was bad, it’s ab out my preferences toward wheat in a mash bill whether that’s a bourbon or a pure wheat whiskey.

I also learned that:

• Jefferson’s relies on Kentucky Artisan for creativity and small‑batch precision.

• Marian McLain includes a bourbon distilled here, tying the distillery directly into Jefferson’s family history.

• And when given five barrels representing five grain philosophies, my palate chose softness, warmth, and wheat.

  
  

That’s the kind of insight you don’t get from a bottle. You only get it by being there — by tasting whiskey where it’s made, talking to the people who make it, and discovering which mash bill speaks to you when everything else is stripped away.

Conclusion:

Thanks for joining me on this whiskey deep dive!

Whether as a beginner discovering new flavors or an aficionado pursuing perfection, the journey always has another fascinating glass to offer.

Join me at The Buffalo Distilling Company for a Deluxe Tour and Tasting or Whiskey Workshop by signing up on my website to experience a Buffalo-made bourbon firsthand.

Special shout out to the BDC for the use of their distillery for tours, tastings and the Whiskey Workshop.

Again, Please leave questions or comments on my website at bisonbourbonspiritstc.com, that’s b i s o n b o u r b o n s p i r i t s t c.com

Disclaimer: This podcast provides general information and entertainment. Always drink responsibly, and consult local regulations before imbibing. This podcasts is meant for listeners who are of legal drinking age only.

I’ll be back next time with another deep dive. Until then, check out the blog, explore the merchandise, and join me for a workshop or tasting at Buffalo Distilling Company.

Until the next podcast, keep sipping, keep exploring, and remember: good whiskey is like a well-crafted story.  If you “Love Bourbon & B.S.? Tell a friend.

We’re trying to grow this thing the old‑fashioned way—one honest pour and one honest listener at a time.”

Cheers to Bold Spirits and Curious Minds!