Kentucky’s First Female Master Distiller Marianne Eaves Breaks All of the Rules With Forbidden Bourbon Launch

Marianne Eaves enjoys a glass of Forbidden Bourbon, the industry’s first white corn and white winter wheat bourbon. (Photos: Forbidden Bourbon)

Kentucky’s first female master distiller, Marianne Eaves, released Forbidden Bourbon on Tuesday. Forbidden Bourbon uses White Winter Wheat and white corn in the mash, making it the first bourbon of its kind. The corn is cuisine-quality, and the whiskey is made using a cold fermentation process, which bucks tradition in crafting America’s signature spirit.

“Total creativity involves a certain degree of rebellion. To be completely creative, I tend to do things that are a little bit forbidden,” Eaves said in a news release, “While creating Forbidden, I have had the freedom to cross deep into uncharted territory by using nontraditional ingredients and techniques. The resulting bourbon, on my palate, is perfection.”

Bourbon is traditionally made with Yellow Dent Field Corn, which is often commercially grown to feed cattle and make plastic products, according to Food & Wine.

Eaves made the decision to defy norms by using ingredients inspired by Southern cooking. The result is a small-batch, hand-blended, 5-year-old bourbon bottled at 95.2 proof. It was distilled, aged and bottled at Bardstown Bourbon Company by Eaves, who had total control over the production process from grain to glass.

Forbidden Bourbon launched on May 16.

“With Forbidden, we’ve taken our time to create something completely original in Kentucky bourbon,” said Daniel Rickenmann, one of the brand’s four partners. “Marianne’s preoccupation with achieving such a high level of work means she doesn’t follow the usual script. For nearly two decades, Marianne has steadily stepped outside of the norm in her career and with her work to create Forbidden, she defies every expectation.”

Forbidden Bourbon Tasting Notes, Via the Brand

Nose: Vanilla bean, crème brûlée, dried fruit, hazelnut.

Palate: Caramel, citrus oil, light florals, oak sugar.

Finish: Creamy sweetness, oak, spice.

“Forbidden is a bourbon you finish and say, ‘This is my first drink and my last drink of the evening,’ it’s a symphony of flavor, complexity and warmth,” Rickenmann concluded.

Forbidden Bourbon will be available initially in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina, with a suggested retail price of $129. The first release will include an allocated number of hand-blended bottles in addition to three single-barrel cask-strength expressions.

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