Brand

Bulleit whiskies

Bulleit is a Kentucky bourbon and rye whiskey brand, recognisable by its old-style bottle with embossed lettering. Tom Bulleit founded it at the end of the 20th century inspired, according to family history, by a 19th-century ancestor’s recipe. Today it belongs to Diageo. Its bourbon has plenty of rye in the recipe, which gives it a spicy character, and its rye has become a staple of cocktail bars all over the world.

Created
Owner
Diageo
Origin
Kentucky, United States
In the catalogue
2 whiskies

History, style and where to startBulleit official website

2 whiskies

Guide to Bulleit

History

Tom Bulleit, a lawyer by profession, launched the brand in the 1980s with the idea of reviving his family’s whiskey. At first Bulleit had no distillery of its own and its whiskey was made by other Kentucky houses. The brand passed to Seagram and, after that group was broken up, ended up with Diageo, which drove it internationally. In the 2010s Diageo opened Bulleit’s own distillery in Shelbyville, Kentucky, to produce its whiskey there. Over the years the brand has added older and higher-strength versions.

House style

Bulleit Bourbon is made with a high-rye recipe for a bourbon, which translates into notes of pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg over a base of caramel, vanilla and oak. It is drier and spicier than sweet wheated bourbons. Bulleit Rye contains even more rye and is spicier, more herbal and lighter, with a dry, spicy finish.

Average flavour profile of its 2 whiskies in the catalogue

Sweet
2.8
Fresh fruit
1.8
Ripe and dried fruit
0.8
Floral and herbal
0.5
Cereal and malt
1.3
Vanilla and creamy
2.8
Oak
3.0
Spicy
3.0
Toasted
2.0
Smoky
0.3
Maritime
0.0
Body and intensity
3.0

Where to start

If you’re after a versatile bourbon, start with Bulleit Bourbon: it works neat, on the rocks and in classic cocktails. If you like spicy flavours or make cocktails such as the Manhattan, Bulleit Rye is the house benchmark. Trying the two one after the other is a good way to understand what rye brings to American whiskey.

This text was generated and translated by AI and may contain errors. Founding year, owner and official website come partly from Wikidata.

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