Fitting for the holiday season, we’re reaching for a bottle with genuine American road dust in its veins: Ben Holladay 1856 Original One Barrel Bourbon, aged eight years. It’s a whiskey with a Western backstory as compelling as the liquid inside, the kind that feels right poured slowly at the end of a long day.
Founded in 1856 in Weston, Missouri, the Holladay Distillery is the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi still operating on its original site. Ben Holladay—a Kentucky native and legendary entrepreneur known as the ‘Stagecoach King’—built a transportation empire that stitched the frontier together long before interstates or asphalt. He chose this site for its pure limestone spring water, charted decades earlier by Lewis and Clark. When Holladay’s stagecoaches pushed west, his whiskey went with them. Legend has it that if you were drinking bourbon in the Wild West, there’s a good chance it came from Holladay’s barrels.
The distillery passed through various hands over the next century, becoming the McCormick Distilling Company in 1942. Bourbon production halted in 1985 as the focus shifted to other spirits, but the brand returned to its roots in 2015. In 2022, Holladay released its first Ben Holladay bourbon in 30 years, reviving the original 1856 mash bill and aging it in the same historic rickhouses. This eight-year, single-barrel expression is part of that quiet but deliberate comeback.
Visually, the bottle leans hard into its heritage, and it works. The black, red and off-white palette stands out among louder shelf mates, while the illustrated stagecoach and period typography feel authentic rather than gimmicky. Based on appearances alone, I suspect the most natural pairing for this bottle is a Stetson and some ragged sh*tkickers.
Company: McCormick Distilling Company
Distillery: Holladay Distillery
Proof: 120.4
MSRP: $90
Bottle Particulars:
Lot/Barrel: 16K13 / 1823
Distilled: 11/12/2016
Aged: 8 years, 4 months
Rickhouse C
Floor 3
Rick 12, Tier 3
Nose:
Dark fruits exploded on the initial sniff test. A handful of Sun-Maid raisins was thrown directly into my nostrils at a force that quickly blew the imaginary Stetson off my head, replaced with something more akin to a sun bonnet. Pairing with the raisin, prune and dark fruits was rich leather notes along with sweet caramel, vanilla extract and an oak presence. The proof is present but controlled—more like a firm handshake than a slap.
Palate:
Baking spices out of the gate, joined by dark fruits. The Sun-Maid is still lurking, but she’s fading and not as strong as her presence on the nose. The dark fruits turn into more of a chewing tobacco note. Caramel comes in with a hint of Cherry Coke. Rye is noticeable and gets stronger as it turns the corner into the finish.
Finish:
Rye spices linger long after the sip. The proof is noticeable here, adding a pleasant warmth. The fruit notes that were strong on the nose dissipate through the palate into the finish. Tobacco, oak and leather now do the talking.
Overall:
Holladay’s other releases have set expectations high, and this eight-year delivers—just in a different register. It’s darker, heavier and more contemplative than its siblings, a pour that rewards slowing down and paying attention. At this proof and price point, it earns its keep.
Score (5-point scale):
Nose: 4
Palate: 3.5
Finish: 3.25
Presentation: 3.75
Total: 3.625
A special thanks to Tim Dobbins, our resident Glencairn guru, for this bourbon review.
