Walker’s Cay is a bourbon from what may be the first name in beer. It belongs to King Spirits, a new spirits company from Stephen Busch, a great-great-grandson of Anheuser Busch founder Adolphus Busch.
From its nautical name to a simple label marked by a swordfish, you might assume it’s a rum, but this is indeed a whiskey. Though named for a Bahamian island, it’s a Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey composed of 70% corn, 21% winter rye, and 9% malted barley. After distillation, the spirit is aged in new Missouri oak barrels and finished on sherry cask staves.
The bourbon has a light, sweet nose that brings creamed corn to mind, in addition to oak spice, leather, and a slightly metallic sweetness that made me think of cola.
It’s very light on the palate, and truthfully, much lighter than what I’d like to see in a bourbon. It’s sweet, with those same creamed corn notes kicking off before we hit the wheaty taste of freshly baked biscuits. From there it gets a bit more interesting with boiled peanuts before finishing with a touch of leather and a light dusting of sherry spice.
There’s nothing off putting about Walker’s Cay bourbon, and yet there’s nothing particularly interesting about it either. If you want a notably light bourbon, it’s worth a look. But if you wish to tuck into a more substantial bourbon, you might want to fish elsewhere.
★★
Stats:
— 45% ABV
— $35
