What Does a 34-Year-Old Bourbon Taste Like?

One of history’s oldest age-stated bourbons just sold at auction. Limited to just 11 bottles — with only five available to the public — I.W. Harper 34-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey isn’t just the oldest release in the 150-year history of the I.W. Harper brand, it’s one of the oldest bourbons ever released — and we got an early taste.

While it’s tough to determine exactly where this ranks in the list of highest bourbon age statements, only a handful of recent or semi-recent releases eclipse it.

In 2018, James Thompson & Brother Final Reserve 45-Year-Old Bourbon featured a total run of 250 bottles, with 150 available to the public. The whiskey was originally distilled at the Thompson family’s Glenmore Distillery. Several years later, a 42 year-old expression was also released.
As part of its Ancients Collection, Redemption Whiskey released a 36-year bourbon sourced from MGP. The total run numbered just 18 bottles.
Around 2014, Jefferson’s Bourbon released a 30-year expression as part of its Presidential Select line.

More recently, I.W. Harper 34 Year hit the auction block at Sotheby’s in NYC. Released in collaboration with actor Colman Domingo, it’s a Kentucky bourbon distilled in 1989. While the exact source of distillation wasn’t disclosed, the casks were aged for 34 years at Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Just 11 bottles were ultimately produced from four casks, with five being consigned via Sotheby’s. Proceeds were earmarked for donation to the non-profit Native Son.

Though consumer trends have shifted to favor older spirits with more years in cask, there are real limits to a given bourbon’s lifecycle. Required by law to be aged in new, charred oak containers, bourbon ages rapidly compared to many other whiskeys, especially those aged in previously used barrels. Aging can be heavily impacted by climate, and barrels in hotter locations — like many parts of the American South, where bourbon is frequently produced — tend to lose quite a bit of liquid to evaporation or wood absorption each year.

When combined, the hefty impact of new wood and the high “angel’s share” means that after a couple of decades, there’s often not much whiskey left. And that’s only if the barrel is relatively free of imperfections that might lead to extended leaks. What remains is often considered heavily oaky, tannic, and not always fit for refined consumption. Occasionally, brands that happen upon such barrels will use them as blend components, lending elements of age without fully overpowering via oak. (As one example, Michter’s Sour Mash Celebration is known to contain whiskeys between 12 and 32 years old.)

But that doesn’t stop fans from chasing ever older bourbon. As with most things in spirits, there are often as many exceptions as rules. In fact, the 34-year-old I.W. Harper proved a hit, at least among discerning, deep-pocketed collectors. When the auction closed on Aug. 7, all five bottles sold, with winning bids ranging from $10,625 to $11,250.

But what does a stupendously old bourbon — well over the 30-year mark — actually taste like?

History of the I.W. Harper Brand

Now owned by global spirits giant Diageo, the I.W. Harper brand dates back 150 years, when German immigrant Isaac Wolf Bernheim launched a wholesale liquor business with his brother in Paducah, Ky. The company eventually moved to Louisville and was one of just a handful of companies licensed to distill during U.S. Prohibition. Around 1933, Bernheim sold his business, which soon ended up part of the Schenley Distilling Corporation.

According to Sotheby’s whiskey specialist, Forrest C. Price, the I.W. Harper brand continued in relative prominence throughout the mid-20th century, famously enjoyed by Richard Nixon, Nikita Khrushchev, and even an on-screen James Bond.

In 1990, the brand was once again sold, this time to Diageo predecessor United Distillers, which transitioned I.W. Harper to an export-only brand. It wasn’t until 2015 that bottles returned to U.S. shelves in two expressions: I.W. Harper Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and the more limited I.W. Harper 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

I.W. Harper 34-Year-Old Bourbon Background

I.W. Harper’s new, extremely limited, incredibly old bourbon was originally distilled in 1989. The exact distillery of origin isn’t disclosed, but the barrels spent virtually all their life at the iconic Stitzel-Weller Distillery outside Louisville. That facility is owned by Diageo and is also home to the Blade and Bow brand.

Enough liquid for just 11 bottles was harvested from four barrels, and the bottling arrived at a cask strength 63.1 percent ABV. The release was overseen by Nicole Austin, Diageo’s director of American whiskey liquid development and capabilities. Academy Award-nominated actor Colman Domingo was tapped to collaborate on the release.

“These barrels were marked for I.W. Harper all those years ago, and I’ve been waiting for the right moment to do something truly meaningful with them,” Austin said in a company press release. “This release is the rarest in the brand’s history — a liquid that’s been carefully stewarded for 34 years.”

Five of the 11 bottles were auctioned by Sotheby’s, with proceeds going to Native Son. The organization is a non-profit “movement, community, and platform created to inspire, empower, and amplify the visibility of Black queer men.”

“Exceptionally well aged, bottled at cask strength, and five of only 11 in existence, it’s the kind of release collectors dream about,” says Zev Glesta, spirits specialist at Sotheby’s in New York City.

I.W. Harper 34-Year-Old Bourbon Tasting Notes

At a recent tasting hosted by Glesta, we had the opportunity to try this 34 year-old Kentucky bourbon. It was an admittedly wild ride.

As with many very old bourbons, the nose was the highlight. Oak was unsurprisingly prevalent. The wood aromas were air-dried and seasoned, with elements of tanned leather, wet tobacco, and teabags, a bit like walking into an exotic international tea dealer. Big wafts of herbs came next, specifically sage and thyme. A little fermented strawberry and macerated cherry followed, along with dried, flaked almond and coconut. A notable umami undercurrent was similar to sniffing barrel-aged soy sauce or very dark chocolate.

The first sip was powerfully oaky but not so tannic as to power everything else out. Dusty, funky, and sweet, it boasted plenty of wood sugars — like chewing on fresh-cut sugar cane, it was fleeting — and a lot of action on the first half of the tongue. More dried tea and chalky, dusted cocoa and chocolate developed further on. More soy-forward umami, salted dark chocolate, and cinnamon hit the mid-palate, along with bitter gentian and licorice roots. Chocolate and lemongrass built along the back palate, with flavors of citrus peel and cherry accumulating with time.

The finish was long and tannic, and with plenty of freeze dried coffee and espresso beans, and a tiny bit of (very welcome) lingering sweetness.

I.W. Harper’s 34 year-old bourbon is a complex, tannic pour that sips a little below proof and carries the wood-forward profile of an extremely old bourbon. It’s also far from what many will expect, and while direct comparisons are few, it may actually taste a little less old than one anticipates. It took time, but there was enough complexity to suss out and ponder even beyond the oak. This is a whiskey to sip and contemplate for flavor as much as its historic pedigree.

Unsurprisingly, it’s not exactly a light pour to start a tasting session. Fortunately, we had a few significantly younger whiskeys to acclimate the palate beforehand. And by the time we got to the 34-year-old centerpiece, I certainly found the strength to finish everything in my glass. Who knows when I’ll get another chance?

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