Henry McKenna Review

One of the complaints many bourbon fans have regarding the whiskey craze that’s been happening over the last few years is the lack of availability of their favorite mid-priced, high quality bottles. Brands such as Elmer T. Lee, Blanton’s, W.L. Weller, and others, which were all easy-to-find shelf staples not too long ago, have become allocated to the extent that they are rarely found on store shelves. While it is annoying that there doesn’t seem to be enough of certain brands to go around, there are still excellent bottles sitting on the shelf of every liquor store that often get overlooked. One such bourbon is Henry McKenna Single Barrel.

One of Heaven Hill’s brands, Henry McKenna is a bit of an oddball in the current bourbon world. Not only is it a single barrel bourbon, but it is also bottled in bond and includes a 10 year age statement. Whereas the vast majority of bourbon brands that once had specific age statements have switched to no age statement (NAS), Heaven Hill has managed to retain the age of Henry McKenna (at least for now, fingers crossed).

For one reason or another, Henry McKenna has flown under the radar of the bourbon-buying American public, but many bourbon connoisseurs are fully aware of its standout qualities. I’ve overheard several conversations in good liquor stores in which either a knowledgable store employee or a knowledgable customer recommends McKenna to a someone looking for a good bourbon at a reasonable price. And a good recommendation it is.

Henry McKenna Review

Type: Bourbon
Region: Kentucky
ABV: 50%
Bottled-in-bond

Nose

Burnt caramel. Pound cake. Vanilla. Cocoa powder. Charred oak. Baking spices. Mint. Floral. Simple, but wonderful. Classic and balanced. No single dominant note, harmonious.

Palate

Pound cake. Syrupy caramel. Oak. Baking spices, particularly of the Christmas variety. Taffy. Marzipan. A variety of dried fruits. A bit grassy and herbal, but not too much. Fairly thick and gritty mouthfeel. Delicious and perfectly balanced.

Finish

Fairly long and slightly drying. Like the nose and palate, very pleasant cake notes, this time with a marzipan icing. Oak. Vanilla beans. Fruit candy. Pistachios. Sweet mint.

Overall

This bottle of Henry McKenna has all the classic notes you’d expect in a good bourbon, balanced perfectly, with the added surprise of pound cake and Christmas spices. The cake notes found from the nose through to the palate and finish really set it apart from other similar bourbon profiles. I don’t recall having another bourbon with such pronounced notes of cake.

Note that like any single barrel bourbon, bottles of McKenna may vary a bit from bottle to bottle, but my experience is that it is a pretty consistent product (although I don’t remember the cake notes from my last bottle). In case you want to know, per the label my bottle was barreled on 9/28/2007, in barrel number 3879.

If you’re looking to buy a bottle of bourbon for under $40, I don’t think you can get a better bottle than Henry McKenna.

SCORE: 89/100

Final Thoughts

While people wait in line and pay double MSRP for bottles like Elmer T. Lee and Weller 12, I’ll happily walk into my local liquor store and quietly pay $35 for Henry McKenna. Even if Elmer and Weller were sitting next to it on the shelf, I’d opt for McKenna. It’s better bourbon. It really amazes me that this bourbon is still sold at such a reasonable price and is so readily available. I hope it stays that way.

Buy again? Yes. This is the best affordable, readily-available, everyday bourbon on the market, as far as I’m concerned.

Drink This Not That: Drink this.

Questions about my scoring system? Refer to the Review Method & Scoring Scale page.

For more reviews, check out the Whisky Review Archive.

Enjoying the content on Meade Mule? Help keep the drink reviews flowing by supporting me on Patreon.