Whiskey is a rare treat for me now as I move into greater responsibility in my life, and as uncommon the treat becomes ever the more is the opportunity to try new bottles. That’s why this June on a trip to my beloved state of Montana, I determined myself to bring back a quality vesche and give it the ol’ one-two-typie-poo and write some shit about it. I snagged a couple of other bottles while we were up there, but frankly, after I proposed to my now Fiancé, we lost a few whiskies and meads in the fun-filled nights afterward.
Lazy K Bar Straight Bourbon, 46% 92 proof
Distillery Not Listed (-1 pt)
Distilled in KY; bottled in Big Timber, MT; HQ in Bozeman
$120
Nose - The nose jumps up fruity and bright with definitive tannins and a leathered earthiness. A peppercorn medley is present along with bright notes of sweet corn.
Palate - Widely caramel at first taste when the peppered nose jumps in with a playful spice. Subtle notes of vanilla and taffy are present making for a widely smooth and easy down body. A pinch of tannin gives a subtle woody bite, whose timber pitch evokes quotes from greater men: “Rest! Cries the chief sawyer, and we pause for breath.”
Finish - Rising warmth that continues to a slow burn that isn’t too offensive but is most certainly present, like low-burning embers from a once mighty oak-fueled fire.
Thoughts - Lazy K Bar (why not then, in this essay, refer to the bottle from henceforth as k]) is in itself an interesting addition to the celebrity whiskey game—k] in particular rising from Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, character Rip Wheeler—but defining itself with real Montana heritage, rolling in with the actual generational rancher and owner of the k] ranch, David Leuschen, and a guy who really knows his shit (about selling whiskey rather than tasting it), 25-year career alcohol marketing manager Britt West. At first glance with k], it would be prescient to give it a pass and shake it off as a celebrity whiskey with a lot of story and not a lot of substance, especially given the non-descript Kentucky bourbon distillery that is supplying the operation. Saving graces here are few and far between, but one that is surely to note is the 8-year aging table for the barrels that are supposedly shipped to Big Tree. There’s some good mellowness in there, but given the little bite at the end of the body on this, I am curious if it’s not all aged 8 years but given a treatment similar to a notorious UT distillery that sources from the Whiskey Belt and labels their bottles “aged 10 years” from the drop of 10-year whiskey that’s in the 3-year bottle.
I can’t give too much shade on the whole piece though; Lazy K comes off as an enjoyable vesche, and it’s even more important given my personal timeline of just a month before starting to watch Yellowstone with my Fiancé, and it is one of the “big” bottles I bought while I was up in Montana asking her to marry me. It’s even, it’s enjoyable, and hell she likes it, so it’s approachable for a broad audience. All those notes make for a remarkably upscale experience that can be branded and sold as “exclusive” to the last bastion of the West, which is precisely what High West Distillery in Utah has been selling for decades. And I can promise you, that’s exactly what ol’ Britt West was pitching to the boys while prepping the $120/bottle price tag, “BATCH 001: EXCLUSIVE TO MONTANA”.
rating - 6(7)/10 - Has a lot of promise if guided correctly, but management and celebrity endorsement sets the bar at: lazy.
