Ben Holladay Ancient Cave Collection
Overall Score: 7/10
Overall Value: 2.5/5
Distillery: Holladay Distillery
Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: McCormick Distilling Company
Release Date: Fall 2024
Proof: 100
Age: 7 years, 6 months
Mashbill: Soft Red Wheat
Color: Chestnut
MSRP: $45 (2024) 350ml
The Barrel Bros’ Review
The nose of the Ben Holladay Ancient Cave Collection is easily the highlight here, opening with sweet banana bread, raisins, and hints of grape. There’s a rich base of brown sugar, custard, and toffee, layered with nuttiness, char, and cedar. A touch of caramel and butterscotch rounds things out.
The mouthfeel on the palate is light and somewhat juicy, but the flavors don’t quite keep pace with the nose. Instead of deep sweetness, the sip leans dry with grain and oak leading the way. A little raisin and grape show up, but many of the dessert notes from the nose fade. It’s clean and easy to sip, just not as layered or dynamic as expected.
The finish brings back more complexity, with red fruit sweetness returning alongside a darker oak undertone. A bit of cinnamon warmth and a nice Kentucky hug - from a Missouri Distillery - carry it forward, though it never quite becomes bold or memorable.
The Ben Holladay Ancient Cave Collection is a creative experiment, and while it’s certainly fun to try, it doesn’t fully live up to its promise. The nose is excellent, the finish enjoyable, but the palate comes up a bit flat.
Compared to the standard Bottled-in-Bond release, this feels more like a collector’s curiosity than an essential pour. At its $45 MSRP for a 350ml bottle, it’s worth grabbing if you want something unique, but if you see it on sale, that’s the better play.
Overall, this review lands in the “interesting but not must-have” category.
If you’re looking for specific notes from our Barrel Bros, read their individual reviews below!
Individual Reviews
The Rye Guy Says
Score: 7/10
Value: 2.5/5
THE NOSE:
Banana bread and raisins, but very fruit forward. It has a sweet and dark profile.
It is also very rich, reminding me of brown sugar and custard.
Occasionally I got a little bit of nuttiness, char, and cedar which really balanced it out.
THE TASTE:
Light and juicy mouthfeel which I really like, but not as sweet as I was wanting.
I got a really dry grain and oak profile on the immediate sip.
Just the slightest bit of raisin but mostly wood.
THE FINISH:
Surprisingly, the finish brings about more of the complex bourbon flavors I was wanting on the palate, and they really stick with you.
The sweetness and red fruits return, and the woodiness from the palate develops into a nice dark undertone for the finish.
The dryness pretty much disappears.
BUY OR PASS?
It’s strange for me to like the finish of a pour more than the palate, but that is truly the case here. Everything other than the taste presents like a well made craft whiskey.
I think it’s a really fun bottle to have on the shelf and share with fellow enthusiasts, it’s just not quite the sleeper pick that is going to blow everyone away.
The Hunter Says
Score: 7/10
Value: 2.5/5
THE NOSE:
It’s sweet and grainy—think the wafer inside a Kit Kat bar. There's a nice fruity note too, maybe grape, and a touch of toffee.
Then, oak and char start to show up in a good way, bringing out some deeper caramel and butterscotch notes.
Honestly, the nose is the best part of this pour.
THE TASTE:
It feels bright and leans into a classic bourbon profile.
A little bit of that grape shows up again, but most of the things I picked up on the nose don’t really make an appearance here.
It’s clean and easy to sip, but not super layered or interesting.
THE FINISH:
There’s that warm Kentucky hug in the chest, which I love—but the finish itself is pretty uneventful.
Nothing bad, just nothing special either.
BUY OR PASS?
I’m a big fan of Ben Holladay and usually love what they put out. But this “Ancient Cave Collection” feels more like a fun experiment than a must-have bottle.
It’s not bad at all—just not as good as their standard Bottled-in-Bond. Honestly, the whiskey might have been better before the cave aging. I still respect the creativity, but this one doesn’t quite hit the mark.
