The Story

When Stellum came on the scene, I remember there was a lot of interest from whiskey enthusiasts. To be honest, I didn’t pay much mind to it as so many bottles come out and oftentimes the excitement is generated simply because something new is dropping. So as I tend to do, I just kept it on my radar but mostly brushed past it; even in my own liquor store. I would see it sitting on the counter where the new and cool bottles are upsold, and I’d consider grabbing it, but ultimately would just pass by it.

One day, during a typical liquor store run, I saw a bottle of Stellum Bourbon sitting in a rather unassuming spot on top of some cases. I figured ‘why not?’ and grabbed it on my way towards the front of the store. I loved the fact that it was being pumped on social media but was still readily available (multiple times).

Once I got back home from the liquor store, I texted our co-founder Justin about what bottles I was able to grab (as we often do). When I told him about Stellum, he replied “That stuff is good! The people who make Barrell Bourbon also make Stellum.”

My ears perked up. Barrell Craft Spirits makes this? I honestly had no idea, and found myself feeling a little bit lucky that it had been so widely available while I passed it up several times, just to be able to grab it later. At that point I knew it was going to be an interesting bottle to review. Would it live up to the Barrell Craft Spirits name?

Stellum Bourbon is a blend of barrels hailing from three separate states including Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. It’s based around 5-6 year old barrels but everything from 4-16 year barrels are utilized in this blend. This isn’t a batch, meaning that this particular expression will always be available, and it’s bottled at 114.98 proof. Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Nose

On the nose there are some great scents of clove, toasted oak, and dark fruit or plum. 

Palate

The palate starts out sweet with vanilla and honey but quickly is replaced with robust spice notes, like a hot pepper or chili pepper. There are some nice, rich fruit notes on the palate as well.

Finish

The finish segues into some dark brown sugar sweetness as well as some dry roasted peanut notes and leaves some baking spice on the palate as it slowly fades with a medium-long duration.

Verdict

This bottle retails at $55 which is a great value for the depth of flavor Stellum provides. We could see ourselves paying anywhere from $55 to $65 for a bottle for the value that it has.

This is a no-brainer ‘buy’ recommendation from us as it’s simply a highly-enjoyable pour. It’s fairly complex so you’ll be picking out notes as it breathes in the glass a bit, which makes it a pretty fun pour.

Overall, we’re giving this bottle an 8.4 for its depth of flavor, its unique spicy kick, and very enjoyable finish. Cheers!

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