It’s been a while since I did a “Bottom Shelf Bourbon” feature, but it turns out I think I found a perfect one that somehow eluded me previously. Fighting Cock Bourbon is a very budget-friendly offering from Heaven Hill Distillery, using the same mash bill that gifts the world with Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, Henry McKenna, and Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. It is bottled at 103 proof (51.5% ABV) and the bottle does indicate in small letters (on the back) that it is aged for 36 months. I picked up my bottle in Chattanooga for $14.
First off, the color is definitely on the lighter side of medium amber. It has some color, but it’s never going to compete visually with most of the other whiskies derived from this mash bill. I swirled it in my glass and got fast, skinny legs running down the inside of the glass, indicative of the youth and lack of oiliness. Giving it a good nosing, it’s not surprising to find it fairly corn-forward, but there’s plenty of vanilla and a touch of brown sugar in there, too…and even a little oak.
Giving it a sip, it seems very thin at first and threatens to just be watery…but then it comes to life, with a fat honey and vanilla flavor that explodes into cinnamon and spice heat that just lingers and lingers. Further sips allow a little bit of an apple note to come through up front, refining the sweet flavor, while there’s still tons of spice on the back end. It’s not terribly complex, but I did find it nicely balanced between sweet and spicy, which is much more than I would expect at this bargain-basement price tag. They also call this one the “Kickin’ Chicken” and I would expect it to out-kick its coverage for cocktails as well as sipping neat.
