Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 5.5 Year Green River Distilling Co 103.8 Proof 750ml

The proof is not a random number. 103.8 proof — 51.9% ABV — corresponds exactly to Terry Bradshaw's career pass completion rate as quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers: 51.9%. It is the most specific and most personally meaningful proof point in American bourbon, chosen deliberately as the numerical signature of the man whose name is on the bottle — a Hall of Fame quarterback, two-time Super Bowl MVP, four-time Super Bowl champion, and one of the most recognizable figures in the history of American professional football. The 4X on the cap commemorates those four championships. The proof commemorates the precision of the man who won them.

Bradshaw Straight Bourbon is produced at Green River Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky — a distillery whose history runs deeper than almost any other in the state. John W. McCulloch founded Green River Distillery in Owensboro in 1885 and was granted DSP-KY-10 — the tenth federal distilled spirits permit issued in all of Kentucky, a designation that confirms the distillery's position among the earliest and most historically significant bourbon producers in the Commonwealth. A fire in 1914 ended production, and the distillery passed through several owners before being revitalized under new ownership in 2014 and returning to full production under Master Distiller Jacob Call. In 2020 the company reclaimed the Green River name with the blessing of McCulloch's great-grandson Rob McCulloch — restoring one of Kentucky's most historic distillery identities to national prominence.

Your specific bottle — 5.5 years old — represents a meaningfully more mature expression than the original 2-year minimum release that introduced the brand in 2020. Five and a half years in new American oak at Green River's Owensboro warehouse program produces the richer caramel integration, deeper vanilla, and more fully developed rye spice character that the 70% corn, 21% rye, 9% malted barley mash bill delivers at genuine maturity. This is Bradshaw Bourbon grown up — the celebrity story attached to a genuinely serious aging statement.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Green River Distilling Company holds DSP-KY-10 — the tenth distilled spirits permit issued in Kentucky — a historical designation that confirms the distillery's founding place among the earliest licensed bourbon producers in the Commonwealth. Founded in Owensboro, Kentucky in 1885 by J.W. McCulloch, Green River built a reputation for quality whiskey that endured until a devastating fire in 1914 forced closure just before Prohibition arrived to prevent any immediate rebuilding. The property was acquired in 2014 by the Terresentia Corporation, which undertook a comprehensive renovation to restore the facility to its historical standard. Ron Call — a veteran distiller with experience at Jim Beam and Florida Caribbean Distillers — oversaw the restoration. His son Jacob Call, a respected distiller in his own right, took over as Master Distiller in 2016 and has guided all production since.

Bradshaw Kentucky Straight Bourbon is a collaboration between Terry Bradshaw, Silver Screen Bottling Company — the sports, film, television, and entertainment licensing and distribution specialist — and Green River Distilling Company, which handles all distillation and production at the Owensboro facility. The mash bill of 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley produces what Green River specifically describes as a high-rye profile that delivers warm spice notes alongside the vanilla, caramel, and chocolate mint character of the distillery's house style — a profile that Jacob Call's production team at Green River has refined over years of consistent production. The 21% rye is significantly above the category's standard 10–15% range, providing the structural spice backbone and the rye-driven complexity that distinguishes the Bradshaw profile from corn-forward low-rye Kentucky bourbons.

At 5.5 years — a meaningful step beyond the original 2-year minimum release — the bourbon has spent five and a half Kentucky seasons in new American white oak, the barrel's compounds fully activated and integrated into the spirit's caramel and vanilla core while the 21% rye's natural spice character has had sufficient time to develop from the sharp, slightly aggressive quality of young high-rye bourbon into something more rounded, more harmonious, and more fully expressive of what the mash bill was designed to produce.

Critics Reviews

Bourbon Obsessed — original release (2-year): "The proof is 103.8 / 51.9% ABV — corresponding to Bradshaw's career pass completion rate of 51.9%. The 4X on the cap commemorates the Steelers' four Super Bowl victories with Bradshaw at quarterback."

Rickhouse Ramblings — original release (2-year): "Nose: Caramel and brown sugar lead with vanilla, toasted oak, and a touch of rye spice. Palate: A sweet entry with caramel and vanilla, building into rye spice and leather mid-palate. Finish: Warm and lingering with baking spices."

Bourbonfool (Don Williams) — "a touchdown": "Bradshaw Bourbon is a quality whiskey. This is a very surprising bourbon — often celebrity names on a distilled spirit do not translate to a superb drinking experience; however, Bradshaw Bourbon is a touchdown and a whiskey that does not disappoint."

The Whiskey Wash (original release): "Caramel and corn on the nose alongside vanilla and a subtle rye spice. The palate is sweet-forward with caramel, vanilla, and a pleasant spice building through the mid-palate. The finish has warmth and barrel character."

Tasting Profile

The following profile is built from the confirmed Green River Distilling house character, the 70/21/9 mash bill, 5.5 years of maturation, and the original-release reviewer notes — your 5.5-year expression will show considerably more development, integration, and complexity than the 2-year reviews describe.

Nose Warm amber with golden highlights — five and a half years of new American oak maturation producing a color of genuine depth that the original 2-year release's light yellow-gold could not approach. The nose opens with the integrated warmth of a high-rye mash bill at genuine maturity: caramel and brown sugar lead with the richness and roundness that only extended barrel contact develops — more complete and more complex than the original release's more direct and less integrated character. Vanilla follows from the oak's natural vanillin — deep, slightly creamy, and adding the secondary sweetness that anchors the caramel. Toasted oak threads through as a structural note. The 21% rye's spice contribution arrives as warm cinnamon and rye bread — present, building, and adding the aromatic complexity that distinguishes this mash bill from corn-dominant low-rye expressions. Dark cherry and dried fruit add a slightly darker fruit dimension from the extended barrel contact. Chocolate mint — the Green River house character that Master Distiller Jacob Call specifically identifies — threads through as the most distinctly Green River aromatic quality. A whisper of leather adds secondary maturity.

Palate Full, warm, and considerably more integrated than the original release — the 5.5-year maturation's most immediately apparent contribution in a mouthfeel of genuine richness and structural completeness. The entry is sweet and immediately generous: caramel and vanilla arriving in a thick, satisfying wave that the corn-dominant mash bill's natural sweetness and the extended oak contact together produce. The 21% rye's spice builds quickly through the mid-palate — warm cinnamon, rye bread, and a slightly peppery warmth providing the structural counterpoint that prevents the caramel sweetness from becoming simply indulgent. Dark cherry and leather add depth alongside oak tannin. The 103.8 proof delivers genuine warmth and full-intensity presence throughout — the proof that corresponds to Bradshaw's completion rate carrying every flavor with the authority of a quarterback who knew exactly where the ball was going.

Finish Long, warm, and baking-spice-driven. Cinnamon and rye spice carry the close most persistently alongside caramel and a whisper of oak. The chocolate mint note that defines the Green River house character fades at the very end in the most distinctly Owensboro contribution to the finish. Leather and vanilla round the close before the whole experience resolves into a warm, slightly dry, oak-forward conclusion. Considerably longer and more complex than the 2-year release — the 5.5-year maturation's most honest statement at the finish.

Quick Overview

Serving & Occasion

Neat at room temperature or over a single large ice cube — the caramel, vanilla, and rye spice character are most fully expressed without aggressive dilution, and the 5.5-year maturation's integration is most apparent neat. A few drops of water opens the dark cherry and chocolate mint notes further. Outstanding for watching football, celebrating Steelers victories, and any occasion where the most specific and most personally meaningful proof point in American bourbon deserves to be the conversation starter before the first pour is made.

Cocktail Suggestions

Bradshaw Old Fashioned (the touchdown serve) 2 oz Bradshaw Bourbon · 1 tsp Demerara syrup · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · expressed orange peel. Stirred over a large ice rock. The caramel, vanilla, and rye spice align naturally with the Old Fashioned format — the orange peel amplifies the dark cherry note, and the bitters add structural counterpoint that frames the sweetness in classic bourbon character. The most naturally fitting cocktail for a 103.8-proof high-rye Kentucky straight bourbon.

Bradshaw Manhattan 2 oz Bradshaw Bourbon · 1 oz sweet vermouth · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Luxardo cherry. Stirred over ice, served up. The 21% rye's structural spice bridges sweet vermouth's botanical sweetness in a Manhattan of genuine depth — the dark cherry and chocolate mint notes adding a dimension that lower-rye Manhattans rarely achieve.

Bradshaw Highball 2 oz Bradshaw Bourbon · chilled premium soda water · lemon peel. Built over ice in a tall glass. A clean, refreshing long drink that showcases the rye spice and caramel character in the most accessible and most broadly enjoyable format.