Description
RD One Finished with Brazilian Amburana Wood is a Kentucky straight bourbon from RD1 Spirits. The company was founded in Lexington, Kentucky, in 2020. This bourbon is aged at least four years. Its mash bill is 70% corn, 21% rye and 9% malted barley.
The finish is what sets it apart. Instead of a whole Amburana barrel, the cooperage drills small honeycomb holes into Amburana staves. Those staves go into the barrel with the aged bourbon. Amburana is a South American wood, and it adds warm spice and a lightly exotic sweetness. It’s bottled at 110 proof.
Lift the glass and you’ll smell apple cinnamon, nutmeg and light brown sugar. Pine, vanilla, peach and apricot come next. The palate is rich, with spice cake, ginger snaps and caramel. A drop of water opens up black tea, dark berry jam and a peppery note. The finish is long and warm, with allspice and sweet oak.
Judges have taken notice. It was named top cask-finished whiskey at the 2024 International Whisky Competition. At the 2024 TAG Global Spirits Awards it won Platinum with 95 points and a Best in Show title.
Try it neat or with a splash of water first. Then stir one into an Old Fashioned. On the table, serve it with dark chocolate, spiced pecan pie or smoked brisket. If you like spice-forward bourbon and want to try a new kind of wood, this is a fun bottle to open.
