Black Maple Hill 16 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 95 Proof 700ml

Black Maple Hill was launched in 2000 by CVI Brands, a San Carlos, California importer and bottler whose access to the finest aging Kentucky bourbon stocks — including some of the most coveted Stitzel-Weller whiskey, said to have been selected by Julian Van Winkle III — produced a series of age-stated Kentucky straight bourbon releases that the early 2000s American whiskey community recognized immediately as exceptional. The 16 Year and 18 Year expressions from that foundational era became cult objects — bottles that serious bourbon collectors tracked down and held onto, expressions whose combination of deep Kentucky age, limited production, and the specific house style of the barrels the Black Maple Hill team selected made them genuinely irreplaceable once the stocks ran out.

The stocks did run out. By the late 2000s the age statements had disappeared. By 2014, in a move that fractured the brand's following, CVI Brands revived Black Maple Hill using whiskey from Oregon's Stein Distillery — a genuinely different spirit from a genuinely different terroir, producing a result that the Whiskey Wash reviewed as "the wood clearly dominates" and that serious Kentucky bourbon devotees largely stopped tracking. The Black Maple Hill that people had sought in the early 2000s — the one with Julian Van Winkle III's fingerprints, the one with the legendary Stitzel-Weller DNA — was gone.

Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky of Rare Character Whiskey Co. — whose RCLR Bourbon Batch 03 is on the Blackwell's shelf, whose New Riff Malted Rye descriptions are in this session — purchased the Black Maple Hill brand with a specific and explicitly stated purpose: bringing the brand back to its foundation. Their own website says it directly: "This relaunch is focused on bringing Black Maple Hill back to its foundation: well-sourced, high-quality Kentucky whiskey. This isn't about reinventing the brand." Distilled and aged in Kentucky. Bottled by Black Maple Hill Distilling Co. in Lexington. Rare Character Whiskey Co. on the back label. The 16-year-old at 95 proof — the more limited of the two relaunch expressions, built from older stocks, offering the depth and maturity that the brand's original appeal was built on.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Black Maple Hill was originally launched in 2000 by CVI Brands — working through connections that included Julian Van Winkle III's barrel selection expertise and the Kentucky Bourbon Distillers network in Bardstown, giving the Black Maple Hill label access to some of Kentucky's finest aging stocks including whiskey from the legendary Stitzel-Weller distillery. The early releases — particularly the 16-year and 18-year age-stated expressions — established the brand's reputation as the vehicle for some of Kentucky's most distinguished aged bourbon to reach the market under a single label.

The Rare Character acquisition and relaunch returns the brand to exactly this philosophy. Pablo Moix and Peter Nevenglosky — whose Rare Character Limited Release RCLR program has built a reputation for obsessive barrel selection and blending of the finest Kentucky straight bourbon and rye whiskey available — applied their established expertise to sourcing the aged Kentucky stocks that the Black Maple Hill 16 Year revival requires. The 16-year expression is the more limited of the two relaunch offerings alongside the standard Kentucky Straight Bourbon, specifically described by Rare Character as "built from older stocks, offering depth and maturity while staying true to the brand's original appeal."

Distilled and aged in Kentucky — the label's TTB-registered declaration placing the liquid's origin in the Commonwealth where Black Maple Hill began. Bottled in Lexington, Kentucky by Black Maple Hill Distilling Co., with Rare Character Whiskey Co. appearing on the back label as the brand's steward. Sixteen years in American white oak. Small batch format — a carefully selected handful of barrels mingled to produce a profile of consistency and depth that single barrel releases approach from a different angle. Bottled at 95 proof / 47.5% ABV — the proof that the original Black Maple Hill expressions used, the proof that the Wine Enthusiast's tasting of the original described as producing "lush, oily, creamy" character, and the proof that Rare Character specifically chose to honor the brand's foundational identity rather than maximize strength for its own sake.

Critics Reviews

No published tasting notes or critic scores are available for the Rare Character relaunch of Black Maple Hill 16 Year Old specifically at this time given the recency of the release.

Wine Enthusiast (original Black Maple Hill 16 Year expression): "Nose displays bittersweet traces of brown sugar, molasses and bubble gum; with aeration the okay aroma becomes a sophisticated bouquet with scents of creamed corn, honey, cocoa bean and dark toffee. Palate entry is lush, oily, creamy and semisweet; by midpalate the flavor features nougat, honey, brown sugar, marzipan and old sweet oak. Finishes chewy, creamy and succulent."

Whiskey Caviar (new release tasting notes): "Deep mahogany with copper undertones. Nose: Rich and layered — dark caramel, worn leather, cherry cola, aged oak, laced with subtle tobacco and spice. Palate: Full-bodied and bold — waves of butterscotch, maple syrup, dried fruit, cinnamon, and toasted nuts with an earthy undertone."

Rare Character official Black Maple Hill relaunch characterization: "Balanced, approachable bourbon that leans into classic Kentucky character — structured, warm, and easy to return to. The 16-Year-Old is a more limited expression built from older stocks, offering depth and maturity while staying true to the brand's original appeal. This relaunch is focused on bringing Black Maple Hill back to its foundation: well-sourced, high-quality Kentucky whiskey."

Taste Select Repeat (TTB filing discovery): "Rare Character Whiskey Co. acquired Black Maple Hill — the label will launch with 11 and 16-year-old expressions. Bottled by Black Maple Hill Distilling Co., Lexington KY. Distilled and aged in Kentucky."

Wooden Cork: "Originally sourced from Kentucky's famed distilleries, Black Maple Hill bourbons have become cult favorites, known for their smooth, rich character and small-batch production methods. This relaunch continues the brand's tradition of exceptional, aged Kentucky sourcing."

Tasting Profile

The following profile is built from the confirmed Rare Character relaunch tasting notes, the original Wine Enthusiast tasting notes for the foundational Black Maple Hill 16-year expression, and the general character of 16-year Kentucky straight bourbon at 95 proof in the small batch format.

Nose Deep mahogany with warm copper undertones — 16 years of American white oak producing a color of extraordinary depth and warmth. The nose opens with the specific combination that distinguished the original Black Maple Hill 16-year expression and that the Rare Character relaunch's barrel selection specifically sought to honor: dark caramel leads with the deeply integrated sweetness that 16 years of Kentucky barrel maturation develops most completely — not the fresh caramel of younger bourbons but the dark, slightly concentrated, almost toffee-adjacent caramel of a whiskey that has spent a full 16 summers and winters in new American oak. Worn leather follows with the savory, slightly dusty secondary complexity that extended Kentucky maturation produces in its most mature form. Cherry cola adds the most vividly fruit-forward and the most specifically memorable nose note — slightly sweet, slightly tart, and adding the dark fruit dimension that the original Wine Enthusiast review described as the expression's most sophisticated quality. Aged oak adds structural depth. Subtle tobacco and spice thread through from the Whiskey Caviar note. Brown sugar and molasses add the sweetness that the Wine Enthusiast found at the heart of the original expression. Cocoa bean and dark toffee add secondary richness. Honey and creamed corn complete the foundational Kentucky straight bourbon aromatic picture.

Palate Full-bodied, bold, and lush — the three qualities that both the original Wine Enthusiast note and the new release Whiskey Caviar characterization confirm as the 16-year format's most consistent and most defining palate qualities. The entry delivers the butterscotch and maple syrup sweetness that the extended 16-year oak maturation most generously deposits at 95 proof — warm, coating, and genuinely rich without the aggressive tannin that over-oaked older Kentucky expressions sometimes produce. The Wine Enthusiast's "lush, oily, creamy and semisweet" entry characterization is the original's most accurate description and the standard to which Rare Character's relaunch specifically aspires. Dried fruit and cinnamon build through the mid-palate alongside the nougat and marzipan quality — the almond-sweet, slightly confectionary dimension of long-aged Kentucky bourbon at 95 proof. Toasted nuts add the earthy, secondary richness from the Whiskey Caviar note. Old sweet oak carries through with the specifically aged and specifically integrated quality that distinguishes 16-year bourbon from simply woody bourbon — the tannin fully resolved into texture and structure rather than bitterness or astringency. Honey and brown sugar persist at the peak in the "semisweet" combination that makes the expression broadly enjoyable.

Finish Chewy, creamy, and succulent — the Wine Enthusiast's original finish characterization serving as the most evocative and the most specifically accurate description available for what well-sourced, 16-year Kentucky straight bourbon at 95 proof produces as its final statement. The finish is long and warm — the 16-year oak's integrated tannin providing structure without dryness, the sweet compounds of the extended maturation providing the chewy richness that lingers after the swallow. Maple syrup and butterscotch carry the close most persistently alongside the earthy toasted nut dimension. A whisper of tobacco adds the savory final note. The whole experience resolves into the warm, slightly sweet, deeply satisfying conclusion of a bourbon that has had 16 years to become exactly what it intended to be.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat at room temperature in a Glencairn or rocks glass — the dark caramel, cherry cola, and butterscotch character are most fully expressed without dilution. Allow 10 minutes of air for the worn leather, tobacco, and marzipan notes to develop fully from the initial dark caramel opening. A small splash of water opens the dried fruit and toasted nut dimension further while integrating the 95-proof warmth into something particularly harmonious. A single large ice cube works beautifully for a slower pour where the maple syrup and chewy sweetness deepen as temperature drops. The 16-year maturity makes this the most contemplative and the most "pour one glass and give it your full attention" expression in the Blackwell's Kentucky bourbon section.

Cocktail Suggestions

Black Maple Old Fashioned (the natural home) 2 oz Black Maple Hill 16 Year · 1 tsp maple syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over a large ice rock. Maple syrup echoes and amplifies the expression's most specifically name-honoring flavor note — the dark caramel and cherry cola carrying naturally through the format.

Black Maple Manhattan 2 oz Black Maple Hill 16 Year · 1 oz sweet vermouth · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Luxardo cherry. Stirred over ice, served up. The cherry cola and worn leather character bridges sweet vermouth's botanical sweetness in a Manhattan of unusual depth — the 16-year oak's full integration producing a more harmonious and more specifically complex Manhattan than younger bourbons achieve.