Review: Casey Jones Distillery AJ’s Birthday Blend Bourbon (2025)

By Jacob Kiper | February 15, 2025 |

Located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Casey Jones Distillery celebrated its 10th year of operation in 2024 by releasing its Founder’s 10th Anniversary Blend. On February 8, 2025, the small distillery is once again celebrating by releasing the 3rd batch of AJ’s Birthday Birthday Bourbon in honor of the 68th birthday of Arlon Casey Jones.

Casey Jones AJ’s Birthday Blend No.3 Kentucky Straight Bourbon is the joining of three of the distillery’s most choice barrels. Barrels #251 and #267 feature Mashbill 1, consisting of 96% corn, 3% rye, and 1% malted barley. The high-corn barrels harken back to the earliest days when Casey Jones contracted Green River Distilling to make bourbon. Barrel #971 was also distilled at Green River, but offers one of Owensboro’s lesser-known mashbills in 78% corn, 13% rye, and 9% malted barley, dubbed by Casey Jones as Mashbill X. After more than 5 years of total aging, the three barrels come together for a derived mashbill of 91.5% corn, 5.55% rye, and 3% malted barley.

To put aside confusion, Casey Jones Distillery is not named after the mythical baseball player or railroad engineer. Likewise, this “birthday bourbon” has no association with Old Forester, but is it equally worth celebrating? Let’s light the candles and slice the cake!

Casey Jones Distillery AJ’s Birthday Blend Bourbon (2025) Review

The birthday party starts by inviting the aroma of creamed corn, followed by a luscious layer of vanilla bean ice cream. Delicate almond then arrives at the party, adding a gentle nuttiness, while crisp pear brings a refreshing brightness. Tailing off at the end, the scent of lavender lends a soft floral elegance to the nose. The party games kick off as the palate unwraps the buttery sweetness of caramel corn, balanced by a molasses-like brown sugar. Juicy plums add a fruity contrast, while warm cinnamon toast brings a comforting spice. The mouthfeel is exceptionally viscous, coating the palate with a lingering richness. As the party comes to a conclusion, the finish ushers in with a rush of spicy cinnamon, reminiscent of Big Red gum. White pepper adds a slight tingling sensation. As the spice fades, caramel sauce makes an appearance before heading out the door, offering a final hint of orange zest.

Casey Jones offers several mashbills, and I’ve been able to try most of them, including a few well-aged single barrels resulting from the 96% corn mashbill. While at the distillery, I opted to purchase a single barrel of lesser age with a 4-grain mashbill. The particular barrels of the high-corn spirit I sampled just didn’t sway me. However, this blend featuring two of those barrels along with a barrel sporting a mashbill of slightly higher rye content absolutely works. Without doubt, this is one of the best offerings from Casey Jones I’ve been able to try. The asking price of $80 might seem high to most consumers for barrels aged just over 5 years, but the blend is done well, and the cask strength bottling at 105.2 proof adds further intrigue. This is a bottle that I’d happily purchase and recommend to others.

105.2 proof.

A- / $80 / caseyjonesdistillery.com