Larrikin “Cigar Lounge”: Five Finishes, One Nine-Year Bourbon with Greg Keeley

We’re back in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky with Greg from Larrikin Bourbon Company to taste a fresh release that just launched at the Bourbon Festival: Larrikin Cigar Lounge.

It’s a nine-year-old, high-rye bourbon built from five finishing barrels, including French cognac, Spanish Madeira, maple syrup barrels, and Brazilian jackfruit wood, plus the smallest possible “whisper” of Ambarana to make the whole blend snap into place. Greg explains why the goal was to get the Ambarana on the nose without letting it take over the palate, and why Cigar Lounge is designed as that end-of-the-day, after-dinner pour whether or not you ever touch a cigar.

We also get into what a “cigar blend” actually means (and doesn’t mean), what flavors show up when you taste it, what’s coming next at Larrikin (including a surprisingly good American Light Whiskey around 145 proof), and why Kentucky’s bourbon industry has such a strong culture of generosity and camaraderie. Plus a classic Jimmy Russell story that says everything about the community here.

Chapters

00:00 Back at Larrikin in Lawrenceburg
00:35 Cigar Lounge release details (age, proof, high rye)
01:10 “What is a cigar blend?”
02:00 The five finishing barrels
02:45 The Ambarana “whisper”
04:05 Tasting reactions and dessert notes
06:10 Why Cigar Lounge needed cigar-blend DNA
07:05 Next release: American Light Whiskey explained
09:05 Aussie culture and bourbon culture
10:10 Kentucky distilleries helping each other
11:35 Jimmy Russell stories
13:45 Wrap and where to find Larrikin