What was once a vaunted name in the spirits thriving world of Kentucky, Chicken Cock went through a turbulent time of high success and eventual failure. Like most brands that are over 160 years old, Chicken Cock was NOT dealt a deathblow during Prohibition, but instead grew to such stratospheric success, being smuggled into speakeasies and backroom parties in whatever inventive way it could. The whiskey brand was well liked and continued its winning ways for decades to come. It was not until a fire broke out in the business that the brand was stopped dead in its tracks. And it would stay this way for more than 40 years.
During that hiatus from the lips of enthusiasts, Chicken Cock looked to be lost to time and space. For all its successes in the past, the brand remained outside the hearts and minds of anyone not over the age of 80. It was the end of the line for Chicken Cock. Rival and younger brands such as Jack Daniels grew into huge conglomerates and the market has been dominated by these corporations ever since. The age of truly small batch production and techniques honed over the past 162 years were gone. What came in their place were spirits that were designed to look old, designed to taste old, but lacked all the charm, flavor and body of a real spirit.
Grain & Barrel Spirits, a company founded on truly craft made quality spirits happened upon the Chicken Cock name in its exhaustive research for the high times of whiskeys and bourbons and had to learn more. They found a trove of history and legend that was at the heart of the Kentucky revolution. And so they resurrected the Chicken Cock name and set about making a truly unique and wonderful product. A 10 year double barrel bourbon, of which only 1980 bottles were produced, has just hit the market. I have had the opportunity to taste such an elixir and have to say that at 104-proof, it is amazing!
The 330 cases that were made of this libation need to be spoken for immediately, as the bourbon is a marriage made in heaven. The flavors of sunflowers, vanilla, toasted oak dance through your olfactory senses. On the palate, you are met with a silky blend of light lanolin that slides past your tongue. The body is bold but not overpowering and the bourbon neither mutes or blankets your tastebuds. It is a lively spirit with a lightness that is enchanting. The long and rich finish has the complexity you can’t find anywhere else!
G&B have made a winner with Chicken Cock and have rightly so expanded into other offerings. But this one is truly the showstopper and I urge you to buy more than just one. You will not be disappointed.
thesnobmag.com 
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