15 STARS tells BourbonBlog.com they are is moving First West into a new chapter with Explorer, the Bardstown brand’s first bourbon made entirely from whiskey it distilled in-house.
At 5+ years old, 95 proof, and $49.99 MSRP, the release gives drinkers the clearest look yet at where First West is headed.
First West Explorer is the fourth expression in the First West collection, joining First West Small Batch, First West Toasted Oak, and First West Extra Aged. The new bourbon is built around 15 STARS’ proprietary baby black corn mashbill, marking a major milestone for the brand’s own distilling program.
While the bourbon is officially classified as a four-grain bourbon using rye, wheat, and malted barley as flavoring grains, the use of both baby black corn and yellow corn gives the whiskey what 15 STARS describes as a more distinctive five-grain profile.
The Background of 15 Stars and First West
15 STARS has had a steady run of recent activity, and First West Explorer gives that momentum a clear next chapter. The release comes from co-founders Rick and Ricky Johnson, the father-and-son team behind 15 STARS, and marks the first First West bourbon crafted entirely from 15 STARS distilled whiskey.
Ricky Johnson says Explorer is especially meaningful because it showcases the first mashbill 15 STARS ever produced using its proprietary baby black corn. The result, according to the brand, is a bourbon built for natural sweetness, smoothness, and added complexity from the blend of black corn, wheat, yellow corn, and rye bourbon.
Bourbon expert Tom Fischer has extensively interviewed Rick and Ricky Johnson in interviews (like the one below), exploring the family’s whiskey vision, historical inspiration, and growing place in Kentucky bourbon.
First West Explorer Tasting Notes and What It Means
According to 15 STARS, First West Explorer opens with cherry, banana pudding, vanilla wafers, meringue, fresh wood, and tobacco on the nose. The palate brings pear, raisin, sugar, baking spice, herbal tea, cigar box, and seasoned oak, followed by a finish of orange citrus, white pepper, and developing oak.
This release also connects naturally to 15 STARS’ other recent news: the launch of Kentucke County by 15 STARS, a commemorative whiskey line tied to America’s 250th anniversary and Kentucky’s early bourbon roots. Read more about Kentucke County by 15 STARS on this link.
Taken together, First West Explorer and Kentucke County show 15 STARS working two lanes at once: building new in-house bourbon with a proprietary corn mashbill while continuing to tell the deeper story of Kentucky whiskey history.
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