Pure Kentucky XO Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Pure Kentucky XO Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a small-batch bourbon from Old Bardstown Distillery in Willett, Kentucky, aged a minimum of eight years and bottled at 107 proof. That eight-year age statement is a rarity in today's market where many producers have abandoned age declarations entirely, and the higher proof delivers concentrated barrel character and a richer toffee-and-spice backbone than the entry-level Pure Kentucky expression. The XO designation reflects the extended maturation that pulls deeper oak tannins and darker fruit notes from the char. Old Bardstown Distillery is now operated by the Willett family on the same Bardstown campus that once housed the original Kentucky Bourbon Distillers facilities. The bourbon is distilled from a traditional corn-forward mash bill and aged in new charred American oak barrels, drawing on the limestone-filtered water of Nelson County. The rickhouse cycles of Kentucky summers and winters drive the bourbon deep into the wood, then pull it back out, extracting the vanilla, caramel, and baking spice that define the Pure Kentucky line. The nose opens with toffee, orchard fruit, eucalyptus, and oak; the palate follows with cinnamon, more toffee, caramel, black pepper, oak tannins, and layered baking spices. At 107 proof, Pure Kentucky XO has enough weight to stand up to a large ice cube or a few drops of water without losing its structure, but it's smooth enough to sip neat if you prefer. Pour it alongside grilled steak, dark chocolate, or sharp cheddar—anything that can match the bourbon's richness and spice. It also makes a solid Old Fashioned or Manhattan when you want the whiskey to show through the modifiers. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.