This expression takes Rebel Bourbon's signature Wheated Straight Kentucky Bourbon for some finishing in Cognac casks. Raisin notes ahoy!
Once upon a time, the famous Rebel Bourbon was sold under the Rebel Yell brand. The original Rebel Bourbon was made by the W. L. Weller & Sons Company and it was actually William Larue Weller himself who pioneered replacing rye with wheat in Bourbon. And though the distillery popped into existence in 1849, it wasn’t until the mid-1900s that they started bottling American Whiskeys under the Rebel Yell brand. The formula and branding were actually created by a character named Charles R. Farnsley — who served as both Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, and as a Congressman… politicians and alcohol, right? Today, the brand name is different, but the golden formula is still very much the same.
Now, for some rock star-infused story time: Billy Idol was doing shots with the Rolling Stones at a party. Keith Richards just loved him some hard liquor and he was fond of Rebel Yell — he’s the one who brought the bottle. Billy liked the name and asked the gents if he could borrow it for a song title – you know, the one where he's asking for more, more, more. If you are a music fan like we are, that’s reason enough to buy it right there.
What would happen if one would take Rebel Bourbon's Wheated Straight Kentucky Bourbon recipe, mature it for its 4 years, then take it for a nice round of finishing in Cognac French oak casks? Right about 6 months or so? This neat expression, of course. Bottled at 90 proof and limited to a scant 6,000 bottles, it now has some delicious raisin notes added to its already superb profile.