Abduction Bourbon Whiskey

Abduction Bourbon Whiskey — 90 proof (45% ABV), 750mL — is a straight bourbon with a story that starts in Pacifica, California and an abduction theme that runs right through the bottle. The brand is upfront about how it works: per its own FAQ, "We do not distill our own whiskey. It is our own four grain blend, distilled in Indiana and bottled in Stanford, KY" — a corn, rye, wheat and barley recipe aged three to four years. Crafted on Earth, as the brand puts it, and loved throughout the galaxy; available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, which Abduction names as its official nationwide shipping partner.

• ABV: 45% (90 proof)
• Size: 750mL
• Recipe: four-grain blend — corn, rye, wheat, barley
• Distilled: Indiana; bottled: Stanford, Kentucky
• Brand home: Pacifica, California
• Age: 3–4 years
• Style: straight bourbon whiskey

Crafted on Earth. Loved Throughout the Galaxy.

Abduction is the creation of Pacifica's Ryan Murray, who built the brand around the UFO lore of his Northern California coast — every part of the presentation plays along, including the inside of the back label: as the whiskey level drops, an illustration is revealed of a bourbon barrel being beamed up into a spaceship. The whiskey itself is a sourced-but-specified programme: Murray's own four-grain blend, distilled and aged in Indiana — the heartland of American whiskey production — and bottled in Stanford, Kentucky. A wheated four-grain recipe puts it in softer, sweeter territory than a standard high-rye bourbon.

Tasting Notes

The brand's official notes: caramel and sweet corn on the nose; vanilla and toffee at the front of the palate, filling out with dried fruit, banana and anise; and a finish of spice.

How to Enjoy

Neat or on a rock to start — the wheat in the blend keeps it soft. It also makes an approachable old fashioned or whiskey sour for drinkers who find high-rye bourbons sharp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Abduction a California bourbon? No — the brand is based in Pacifica, California, but the whiskey itself is distilled and aged in Indiana and bottled in Stanford, Kentucky. The brand states this openly in its own FAQ.

What grains are in Abduction Bourbon? Four: corn, rye, wheat and barley — a four-grain blend (the wheat softens the rye's spice), aged three to four years before bottling as a straight bourbon.

What is the Easter egg on the Abduction bottle? Look through the whiskey from the front as the bottle empties: the inside of the back label reveals a drawing of a bourbon barrel being abducted into a spaceship.

Beam one up — Abduction Bourbon ships nationwide from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA, the brand's official shipping partner.