Bulleit Bourbon

Bulleit Bourbon is made using only the ‘heart’ of the distillation process. This means the distillate from the beginning and end of the distillation process is not used, ensuring the highest quality. Unique among Bourbons, Bulleit Bourbon has its own grain division that grows grains to Bulleit's specifications and quality. Bulleit Bourbon uses a proprietary yeast culture that helps impart a special character, and Kentucky limestone filtered water from the Salt River - a tributary to the Kentucky River. In accordance with the rules of Bourbon, Bulleit Bourbon is aged in new, flame-charred American White Oak barrels.

Bulleit Bourbon’s distinctive bottle reflects the frontier spirit prevalent when the brand was born. With its unique flask shape, raised glass lettering, and cork stopper, Bulleit Bourbon bottles were regularly used as props on-set HBO’s series Deadwood.

Tasting Notes Strength: 90 proof, 45% ABV
Color: Russet
Nose: Rich, oaky aroma
Taste: Distinctive, with hints of vanilla, spice and pepper
Body: Full and smooth
Finish: Generous with a long, lingering finish

The Legend

The legend began in New Orleans, where in the 1820s a young Augustus Bulleit emigrated from Alsace-Lorraine, France. Augustus arrived in the city during a time of great growth and prosperity. The United States had recently obtained the territory from Napoleon Bonaparte in the Louisiana Purchase, and New Orleans had successfully defended itself from a British invasion during the War of 1812. The population of the city doubled in the 1830s, and by 1840, New Orleans had become the wealthiest and third-most populous city in the nation.

The strategic location of New Orleans, at the base of the Mississippi River, made it one of the primary gateways to the West for many early pioneers. To service this ever-growing community of frontiersmen, a sizable industry selling needed products for the journey West was forming along the banks of the Mississippi. It’s easy to imagine a young Augustus Bulleit observing the growing American population, the swelling movement west, and noting the ease of transport from the North as a result of the river.

Around 1840, Augustus Bulleit took his newfound entrepreneurial ambitions and moved from New Orleans to just outside Louisville, KY. Augustus established himself as a tavern keeper, where he began producing small batches of bourbon. Relentless in his pursuit of perfection, he experimented with countless recipes, finally finding one that consistently met his expectations. And thus, Bulleit Bourbon was born.

Augustus’s bourbon was sold throughout Kentucky, Indiana, and New Orleans where it quickly gained the reputation as the bourbon of choice for America's most haled and hardy adventurers—the frontiersmen.

In 1860, America was rapidly expanding further west, and Augustus’s adopted hometown of New Orleans had become a major distribution point for his whiskey. That year, while transporting barrels of whiskey from Kentucky to New Orleans, Augustus Bulleit mysteriously disappeared just outside of New Orleans.

Walter Q. Gresham, a farm boy from Augustus’s neighborhood, who later became Secretary of State under President Grover Cleveland, formed a search party to travel from Indiana to New Orleans in search of Augustus. The searchers came back empty handed, with no knowledge of what happened to Augustus. His body was never found.

Shortly after Augustus’s disappearance, the Civil War began and his case was lost in the chaos of the time. While presumed dead, his death has never been certified.

After Augustus’s disappearance, it seemed the making of his legendary bourbon would disappear with him. However, as decades passed, the Bulleit family never lost its passion for telling the story of Augustus Bulleit, nor the desire to resurrect his signature creation. After more than a century, the family returned at last to bourbon making. In 1987, Tom Bulleit fulfilled a lifelong dream by starting a distilling enterprise inspired by the original recipe of his great-great-grandfather.

Today the Bulleit Bourbon legend is alive and well, carrying on the rich tradition started by Augustus Bulleit. Becoming the world’s fastest growing super premium Bourbon with worldwide distribution, Bulleit Bourbon continues to celebrate its distinctive heritage by rapidly becoming the drink of choice for today’s modern frontiersmen.

Browse all 16 Bulleit Bourbon Drink Recipes