Today we move to what I instinctively think of as the home of bourbon – Kentucky.

Although Bulleit is a relatively young distillery – it was only founded in 1987 – its whiskey is inspired by the work of the founder’s great great grandfather Augustus Bulleit, who was making bourbon throughout the middle part of the 19th century.

Bulleit Bourbon is described as having an “especially high rye content” which is music to my ears; I’m slowly learning that my tastes are definitely inclined in the direction of rye.

The nose is full of blossom honey, with touches of over-ripened oranges and maybe a little bit of banana-flavoured sweets. Water brings out more soft, woody spices and even a suggestion of smoke.

In the mouth it start off quite light; soft, light honey slowly joined by a building spicy edge. Over time, the sweetness becomes darker, moving through golden syrup all the way to quite a dark caramel in the finish. Over times, slightly nutty tones also appear, and towards the end quite a tannic oak character.

Watered, the initial taste is almost too light; the later woody tones are also lost and although the sweetness endures, it’s lost a significant amount of character.

Definitely one to enjoy neat; a nice enough bourbon and for at a £25 price you really couldn’t go wrong. 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Master of Malt for providing their excellent Bourbon Advent Calendar this year.