Why the hate for Gurkha?

I keep wondering why the Gurkhas are so reviled. I’ve only had a few bottles, but I really loved both of them. They aren’t the best bourbon I’ve ever had, but they weren’t the worst either.

My wife was wandering through a liquor store the other day. In and of itself, this is not an unusual occurrence. But on this day, she was looking for something that might be interesting for us to review, which is pretty unusual since I am the one who tends to handle that. I like when she is the one buying, and not just because she is buying. No, I like that she comes at things with a different perspective than I do. I tend to look at a shelf full of bourbon whiskey and think about what I could buy that will taste good. She looks at a shelf of whiskey and thinks about what she can buy that is inexpensive.

I mean, she likes good whiskey too. She is just more apt to take a flier on an inexpensive one that she’s never heard of than I am these days. But since you guys are almost as frugal as she is, these flyers do tend to lead to some interesting posts. Which is how a bottle of Gurkha Bourbon landed on our kitchen table.

So what is Gurkha bourbon? That, my friend, is a very good question. The brand has no website. Which is more than a little weird. A Google search brings up a couple of reviews, but mostly serves up results for Gurkha Bourbon and Beam Suntory’s Maker’s Mark bourbon. So I turned to look at the bottle. A bottle that looked was a close match to the shape of Brown-Forman’s Woodford Reserve bottle. Not much there either. In fact, almost half of the 112 words on the label came from the government warning. And a lot of the words that were on the label were repeated.

I came into this just wanting to know who produced the Gurkha bourbon I was tasting. As you might notice, when I want an answer I’ll spend a stupid amount of time trying to find it. So now that we know who is selling Gurkha bourbon (no mention of the state of distillation so who knows who actually distilled it), let’s see how it tastes.

Gurkha Bourbon

Details: 43% ABV. No age statement.

Nose: Aged in White American Oak Barrels, light smoke, and delicate corn and mild pepper notes of Rye, underscored by a layer of Vanilla and Caramel. A lively entry with spice that melts into a very smooth finish.

Mouth: There is almost nothing to this. Hints of caramel and vanilla and a touch of eucalyptus.

Finish: Warm and of medium length. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, and something super funky that I cannot place.

Gurkha Bourbon is Refreshing. I like this one quite a bit. It reminds me of my favorite summer white wines with how crisp and refreshing it is. I liked this enough to look up the price. I may have to pick a bottle up next time it is in stock. I think it’s worth it.