Orphan Barrel Rhetoric 21 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

21 years. Rhetoric. Orphan Barrel — the 21-year annual release in Diageo’s Orphan Barrel Rhetoric series, two increments younger than the 23-year expression, presenting the same Bernheim distillate at an earlier maturation stage in the annual progression.

At 21 years, the Rhetoric presents the Bernheim bourbon at a stage where oak integration is substantial but not yet at the deeper leather and tobacco complexity of the older expressions. Having 21, 23, and 24-year Rhetoric simultaneously in the Wooden Cork collection allows a direct three-point comparison of how maturation changes the same distillate across three consecutive age increments.

Specs

• Distillery: Bernheim, Louisville, Kentucky (Diageo)
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Age: 21 years
• Series: Orphan Barrel Rhetoric — annual evolving
• Size: 750ml

Browse all Orphan Barrel at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How does the 21-year compare to the 23 and 24-year Rhetoric in stock? Same distillate, two and three years younger respectively. The 21-year shows good oak integration; the 23 and 24-year add progressively deeper wood character, dried fruit, and the leather complexity of extended maturation.