Advantage After Hours Episode 7: Bingham’s Bourbon Review

Ryan Bingham – the singing cowboy from Yellowstone – has his own whiskey. Can a celebrity whiskey live up to expectations for once?

Advantage After Hours shows what happens when four guys (and occasional special guests) with vastly different whiskey tastes and experiences try and review a whiskey for the first time. Naturally, the result is a well-rounded review from four different perspectives, rather than just from the hardcore bourbon drinkers that you find in most reviews.

About Bingham’s Bourbon

We dipped our toes into celebrity whiskies two episodes ago with the Alice in Chains collaboration with FEW Spirits. While that was a collab with an already established distiller, we’re taking it a step further this time with an actual celebrity whiskey.

If you watch the hit show Yellowstone, you’re familiar with the singing cowboy character named Walker. But did you know he’s an actual singer too? And a damn good one at that. Ryan Bingham burst onto the music scene in 2007 with his debut album Mescalito. He has released several more since then and even won both a Grammy and an Oscar for his song The Weary Kind, which was featured in the film Crazy Heart.

Not content to just sing and act — oh, and did we mention that he was a rodeo cowboy in his early years? — Bingham launched his own line of bourbon in 2023.

“I’ve spent years travelin’ the world playing honky tonks and bars looking for a whiskey with enough kick and flavor to sip on the rocks, but smooth enough for a celebratory shot at the bar,” Bingham said. “After searching high and low I decided to head home to Texas and make my own.”

That sounds great, but that’s where the transparency ends. Bingham decided not to disclose where his bourbon is distilled, noting only that it is a Texas certified whiskey using all Texas grown corn, barley, and rye. The back of the bottle states that is distilled in Alvin, Texas, aged for a minimum of two years, and enhanced with Persedo C.R.A.F.T.

We reached out to Bingham’s Bourbon for more information, but did not get a response. We also reached out to Persedo Spirits, and they responded fairly quickly with a request to hop on a call. However, when it came time for that call, they didn’t join but later sent an email saying they had a flight delay and simply issued a PR-style canned response saying, “Persedo has a patented purification process that we call C.R.A.F.T. Controlled removal and finishing step. We utilize this technology to remove harsh flavors, impurities, and other offensive compounds to minimize the burn, enhance the mouthfeel, and allow the flavors of the base distillate to shine through.”

When asked whether Persedo is also the distiller or if it is distilled elsewhere and just finished at Persedo, they replied, “Distilled at another company then sent to Persedo to process the liquid then bottle.”

So what do we make of this? In general, I don’t like not disclosing where whiskey is made. Whether it’s true or not, that suggests to me that you’re hiding something. Why impose a negative connotation on your whiskey right from the start?

Without a straight answer, I did some digging and was only able to find information about who Persedo is and what their C.R.A.F.T. technology does.

Persedo was started by Ricky Ford, who has a background in the refinery valve business. His father created a basic aeration apparatus for distilled spirits. Ford expanded on that work by using his own background and partnering with Dr. Benjamin Moser, a PhD chemist at Texas A&M University and 4-time NASA space science award winner. Moser has extensive experience in microencapsulation and bubble dynamics. Together, they created a process that strips away the impurities after distillation.

“I like to say we do three things well,” Ford said. “We create a softer palate, minimize the offensive burn, and enhance the underlying distillate flavors that are there but have been masked by undesirable congeners. In short, we remove the noise and let the spirit sing.”

It all sounds very gimmicky, but we were willing to give it a try since it’s a cool story and we like Yellowstone and Bingham’s music.

Their Products

Bingham’s Bourbon has two releases to date:

Bingham’s Bourbon Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Original

The Details

Type: Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Company: Bingham’s Bourbon

Distilled By: Undisclosed

Price: MSRP $40 – Purchased for $50

Age: Minimum of 2 years

Mash Bill: Corn, barley, rye (undisclosed percentages)

Proof: 80

Tasted In: Glencairn

The Review

In previous reviews, we did high proof (Smoke Wagon Uncut the Younger), single barrel (Buzzard’s Roost barrel pick from Malloy’s Finest), toasted barrel finish (Yellowstone Toasted), an infused whiskey (Chattanooga Pecan Infused), a tequila barrel finished bourbon (FEW Spirits All Secrets Known), and the inaugural batch of a Texas whiskey (Fierce Whiskers).

Now, we’re staying with Texas whiskey and a celebrity brand, which could be a dangerous combination, especially given the shroud of secrecy that surrounds what’s in the bottle as described above.

Justin, our most experienced whiskey drinker, came in extremely dubious after doing all the research. A celebrity bourbon aged just two years with an undisclosed mashbill and distiller, bottled at a barely legal bourbon percentage of 80 proof, it couldn’t possibly be good, right?

Even with all of that going against it, it was surprisingly delicious for all four of us.

Justin noticed the distinct corn forwardness on the nose and that carried through to the palate as well. He didn’t get any of the rye spice, noting that the mashbill may be a super high percentage of corn, but that’s not a bad thing here.

Matt, who has a good base and is starting to branch out, agreed about the corn, adding that he picked up some toffee as well.

Jim, who mostly just likes a Jack and Coke, found it to be very pleasantly sweet and buttery. He remarked that it would go really well with a nice steak dinner.

Even Zach, who hates whiskey, noted that this was his favorite one yet. “It’s not just burning – you can actually taste it,” he said.

It’s ironic that in Episode 5, we tasted a whiskey called All Secrets Known, and this one sure harbors some secrets, but even so, it delivers to the surprise of all four of us. Jim summed it up well:

“I am thoroughly surprised because every actor, movie star, everyone wants to have a whiskey or tequila. This seems like he put a lot of effort into it – really trying to make a good product. He’s not just throwing his name on something – there’s effort there. It is pure.”

The Verdict

Bingham’s Bourbon is a deliciously sweet, corn-forward bourbon that is approachable for anyone on the bourbon spectrum. It’s smooth enough for the non-bourbon drinker but robust enough for the seasoned bourbon drinker. Apparently Persedo Spirits really has figured something out because they were able to achieve Bingham’s stated goal of finding a whiskey with enough kick and flavor to sip on the rocks, but smooth enough for a celebratory shot at the bar.

While Bingham’s Bourbon is currently only able to purchase at retail in Texas and the West Coast, it can be ordered online through Reserve Bar and shipped to select states. If you’re someone who prefers smooth lower-proofed whiskies, we highly recommend ordering a bottle. If you’re more into high-proof whiskies that you can feel, this is more of a “wait until you find it on a retail shelf” but still worth adding to your collection.

Now, we look forward to trying the Black version.

About Advantage After Hours

In each episode, we will taste and review a different whiskey that none of us have tried before. Each of us has a vastly different experience and taste in whiskey, so rather than getting a review from only hardcore whiskey drinkers, you get four different perspectives on that same whiskey:

• Justin (The Adventurer) has hundreds of bottles. All of them are open and available to share with family and friends. He loves to try the latest releases from Chattanooga, Starlight, or Penelope more than hunting for Pappy, Weller, or Blanton’s.
• Jim (The Traditionalist) is open to trying anything, but really just likes a Jack & Coke. His favorite whiskey is the basic Jack Daniel’s.
• Matt (The Upstart) is familiar with the basics and looking to branch out to new whiskies. He loves anything from Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill.
• Zach (The Newb) hates whiskey. If it were up to him, he would never drink it, but he’s a good sport for Advantage After Hours. His go-to drink is a tequila shot or Captain Morgan.