Rebel Yell (whiskey)

Rebel Yell is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled and bottled at the Bernheim distillery in Louisville, Kentucky. Rebel Yell is an 80-proof Kentucky straight bourbon.

History

The company was originally founded in 1849 by W.L. Weller, who pioneered using wheat (rather than rye) in his mash. The "Rebel Yell" name was created by Charles R. Farnsley (a former mayor of Louisville) around the 100th anniversary of the company, with the idea to distill it in limited batches for exclusive distribution to the south. This plan lasted until the early 1980s, when the brand was purchased by the David Sherman Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri (now Luxco). By 1984, Rebel Yell was distributed nationally.

Notes

*"Nose" (smell): Honey, butter, raisins
*"Mouth" (taste): A big, round body with a palette that directly follows the nose – honey, butter and just a hint of dark fruit (plums, raisins). The finish is long, warm and interesting in that a touch of spiciness, not present in the palette comes into play. (Source: Regan, G. "The Book of Bourbon and Other Fine American Whiskeys". Houghton Mifflin, 1998.)

Uses in fiction and art

*In the novels of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Lieutenant Vincent D'Agosta favors this particular bourbon (e.g. Book of the Dead).
*In the extended edition of Stephen King's post-apocalyptic novel "The Stand", a maniacal character dubbed "The Kid" has a fanatical taste for Rebel Yell.
*Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones was once known to be an avid drinker of Rebel Yell. In fact, Billy Idol has said that his hit "Rebel Yell" was inspired upon his witnessing Richards, Mick Jagger and Ron Wood taking swigs from a bottle of Rebel Yell at an event they all attended.

ee also

*Whiskey

External links

* [http://www.rebelyellwhiskey.com/ Rebel Yell homepage]
* [http://www.luxco.com/ Luxco website]