X-01
October 28, 2026 · The Den
- Proof
- 116.4
- ABV
- 58.2%
- Age
- 10 to 12 year cask
- Distillery
- Copper & Cask
In the glass
Availability: If you can't find it on a shelf, you may have to go secondary.
X is Copper & Cask's first permanent release, a 10-year barrel-proof bourbon intended to return in small batches throughout the year. After years of single barrels and limited Small Batch Series releases, having something regularly available on the shelf is a new move for them. This first batch brings together bourbon aged 10 to 12 years—and it gives me a good reason to pay attention to what comes next.
👀 Visual
Color: Copper
Legs: Thin & fast, Coats the glass
Body: Full
This leaves a heavy coating on the glass, with thin legs that form quickly and run down the sides. It looks full and viscous, and that coating sticks around. Even after letting it sit for a couple of minutes, there is still a noticeable layer clinging to the glass.
👃 Nose
I let the glass sit for about ten minutes before getting into it. Right away, I get a creamy berry sweetness that rolls into baking spice and clove, with grape working its way through. Orange peel shows up toward the end, followed by sweet oak and walnut. Underneath it all, there is a little caramelized brown sugar that keeps pulling me back for another pass.
👅 Palate
The first sip opens with baking spice, mainly nutmeg and clove. Fig follows with a little orange zest before it shifts into strawberry jam. That part takes me straight back to Saturday morning breakfast at my grandparents' house. Sweet oak and walnut come through next, trailing into tobacco and leather. On the second sip, the spice takes a different turn. I start getting Dr Pepper over custard, and that is a combination I am happy to sit with for a while.
🔥 Finish
The wave of flavors comes towards the end of the journey with this one. Cherry Dr Pepper comes through with a gram cracker with orange peel, strawberry frosting with walnuts on top. A savory spice with long sweet oak. The oak isn't over powering. It's perfectly there. Balance of aged bourbon and cask doing their thing.
💭 Thoughts
Copper & Cask has put together another great blend. Forty-five barrels of 10-year to 12-year low-rye and high-rye bourbon went into this release, and to my palate, those choices paid off. There is a lot happening here, but it all fits together. I spend plenty of time chasing single barrels and wondering which pick is going to be the next one that stands out. A bottle like this reminds me to give a good blend just as much attention. At a listed MSRP of $69.99, this is a release I can get behind. Maybe ol' Booker was onto something with the small-batch approach. Sometimes, the whiskey you are looking for comes from finding the right barrels and letting them work together.