Frank August Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

$74.99

View

David Othenin-Girard | K&L Buyer  |Review Date: 08/2022

Frank August is a refreshing take on the bourbon category. Not caught up in any old tropes, this is just really well put together bourbon from a couple of good guys, who seem to know EVERYBODY. Again, Kentucky is all about who you know and while very little can be divulged about the sources and methods here, I think the whiskey speaks for itself. It’s safe to say that this is coming from a well regarded distillery and the blending is done by an industry veteran, who’s taken the idea of small batch to a whole new level. Blends matter a lot at this scale and this inaugural batch is tasting pretty stellar. The style isn’t a baseball bat to the pallet like some of the geeks might want these days, but instead a subtle and elegant expression of bourbon that’s rarely on display in the modern market. Let’s taste it! The lovely reddish hue tells us that this one is maybe a bit older than some others on the market.

The nose is a deft and well aligned bouquet of caramel candies, toasted vanilla, baked clove and other aromatic spices. Hints of cacao, burnt sugar and dried fruit support.

The texture is rather rich and unctuous with a full bodied but no heat at 100 proof. No oddness or distinctive flavors beyond the classic, elegant and well rounded character of an excellent medium aged KY bourbon.

The finish is long and inviting, offering tons of sweetness and tempering the spice that lingers on the front pallet. It’s hard to say where this was sourced exactly, but very few of the luxury brands offer such opulence and well rounded charisma. I’d say its safe to say that this is better than most every new product we’ve come across – and there are many.

Frank August might sacrifice power for elegance and completeness, but no good bourbon drinker will be disappointed and the overtness allows even the most novice entry into this still somewhat hard to parse category. Plus the bottle looks awesome and doesn’t scream or shout, just looks pretty on the bar for as long as you can keep it full, which likely won’t be long.

Andrew Whiteley | Review Date: 09/2022

It is incredibly refreshing to see a new Bourbon brand come to market and move away from the “my great great granddaddy moonshined back in the day’ BS story that so many brands cling to. While ultimately at K&L we try to make the bulk of our decisions about what to sell based solely on the quality of what is in the bottle, a nice package and story is always good to be able to add in. Fortunately, here with Frank August, we’ve got the whole kit & kaboodle. First off, the package is extremely elegant and thoughtfully designed (the special glue on the back label peels off to make reuse as a vase or decanter extra easy). The whiskey itself is also shockingly elegant and thoughtful in its blend. Bottled at a respectable 100 proof, it’s no punch you in the teeth bruiser, but instead is packed with flavor and nuance.

The color is lovely – a golden amber. The nose is bright and clean. It has a great deal of sweetness mixed between fruit, candied sugars, and wood equally. A flash of cherry and stone fruit, maybe even a blackthorn’s sloe berry with its bright tang, caramels, molasses, brown sugar syrup, and a wood profile that isn’t all varnish, but rather freshly hewn green branches and a kiss of dried vanilla.

The palate carries much of the nose into it, but also adds a bit more herbal complexity on the edges and a sweeter midpalate than you might expect. Molasses and tarragon both come to mind as does fresh Granny Smith apple.

The finish is medium in length – lingering pleasantly, but never cloying or aggressive with just a kiss of heat. In short, this is one of the finest entrants and well conceived Bourbons to enter the scene we’re likely to see. It bucks the trend of going for broke on a hazmat proof single barrel in favor of thoughtfully executing a quality dram.

A delightful surprise and fine addition to any bar of collection.

This new brand (As of 2022!), from an undisclosed distillery in Kentucky, is a true small batch; only 15 barrels are dumped at a time. While we don’t have much information about how it was made, we can tell you that this micro-batch would easily qualify as Bottled-in-Bond if the distiller could be disclosed. And while the market for Kentucky bourbon is as tight as can be, this is proof that nearly anything is possible. Designed impeccably to bring bourbon into the modern era, Frank August isn’t relying on tired tropes about some fictional recipe. In fact, Frank August is not a real person at all, but an ideal. Instead of retelling a contrived story, Frank August is reinventing the act of storytelling completely, purposing a new narrative of what it means to be American and how and why we consume our national drink. Ultimately, they’ve put together a gorgeous package and managed to fill it with exceptional juice. And that’s a good enough story for us!

Email: wine@klwines.com
Phone: (877) KL-WINES (Toll Free 877.559.4637)
K&L Wine Merchants 3005 El Camino Real Redwood City, CA 94061 USA
San Francisco, Redwood City, Hollywood CA