According to Tom Bulleit, son of a preacher, great-great-grandson of original creator Augustus Bulleit and developer of the modern brand, the first batch of Bulleit bourbon was made around 1830. Augustus continued to produce it up until his death in 1860. The current recipe is substantially different from the whiskey produced by Augustus Bulleit, which used a mash bill of about two-thirds rye and one-third corn. Tom Bulleit began distilling his version in 1987, characterized by a high rye content and relatively lengthy aging. He maintains that most phenol is filtered out. Seagram bought the Bulleit brand in 1997 and began distilling it in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The brand was widely introduced to US markets in 1999, and to Australia, UK and Germany in 2000. Diageo acquired various Seagram's assets, including the Bulleit brand, which was then produced by its subsidiary Kirin Brewing Company at the same Lawrenceburg plant, then known as the Four Roses distillery. On March 14, 2017, Diageo opened a new Bulleit distillery. The $115 million facility is located just east of Shelbyville in Shelby County, Kentucky. It is designed to eventually operate at a peak capacity of 1.8 million proof gallons annually. In June 2019, Bulleit opened its visitors' center at its Shelbyville distillery in Kentucky. The Visitor Experience includes guided tours, a cocktail bar and an opportunity for visitors 21 years or older to design a customized Bulleit label to apply to their own bottles.
Allegations
In 2017, Hollis Bulleit, daughter to Tom Bulleit, left her position at Diageo after working 25 years to promote the Bulleit brand. She alleges that she was pushed out because she is a lesbian. A spokesperson from Diageo denies the claim. On June 8th, 2019, Hollis B Worth posted a photo on Facebook of her and her wife with a lengthy overview of why she left Bulleit, alleging homophobia from her father. The post makes further allegations on her being cut out of royalties that Tom had worked with Hollis on during contract negotiations.
Products
The current Bulleit bourbon whiskey mash bill contains 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% malted barley. It is bottled at 45% ABV. Bulleit Bourbon Barrel Strength is a blend of barrels which are 5 to 8 years old. As it is being bottled straight from the barrel the proof varies by batch, ranging from 118-125. Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year is the only age dated Bulleit whiskey. It is bottled at 91.2 U.S. proof and has the same mash bill as the original Bulleit Bourbon. It won a Double Gold Medal at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Bulleit rye whiskey, introduced in March 2011, has a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley. It is produced in Lawrenceburg, Indiana at MGP Indiana and bottled at 45% abv.
In Australia and the UK
Starting in 2008, Bulleit bourbon sold on the UK market is bottled at 40% alcohol by volume, which is re-exported to the Australia market. A 45% ABV version was introduced to the UK market in late 2014, under the label "Bulleit Frontier Whiskey".
Reviews
, a review aggregator for spirits, rates Bulleit bourbon in the top 10th percentile of the world's best whiskeys. The Bulleit Rye Whiskey is also rated a "Top Tier Whiskey". Proof66.com rates Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year as a "Tier 1" spirit with an overall rating of 551/904. Bulleit Bourbon 10 Year received a gold medal in the Small Batch Bourbon up to 10 yrs category at the 2013 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. Food criticMorgan Murphy said "This amber beauty, with its notes of spice, rye, and cedar, packs a stronger bite than its sweet aroma would imply."
