Distillery: Crux Distillery
Proof: 100
Age: 5 years
Mashbill: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Malted Barley
Price: $110
Company
Crux Distillery, a veteran-owned establishment located in Durham, NC, is renowned for its Southern Cross Bourbon, a tribute to the valor of WWII Marines. Founded by a diverse team of veterans, including Danny Draher, Destiny Flynn, Holly Smith, and Allan Smith, the distillery was inspired by their participation in the Marine Raider Memorial March. The distillery’s ethos and its slogan, “May You Find Your Way,” reflect a deep connection to military heritage and a commitment to quality.
Southern Cross High Proof Review: Flavor Profile
Nose – 3.5/5
After opening the bottle, the nose had an initial ethanol punch with notes of caramel, oak, and pretty heavy cereal grain. It was a below average nose in my opinion.
After leaving it for a few weeks and coming back, the nose had much deeper notes of caramel with some raisin and pear. The cereal grain was still pretty pronounced, but this evolved a ton in the bottle after opening.
Palate – 3.5/5
Heavy cereal grain carried through from the nose with deeper notes of caramel, oak, and some black pepper. It’s much thinner than expected for a 5 year, 100 proof theater.
After a few weeks, there was a really heavy raisin and pear note that wasn’t there before. The caramel was also more pronounced. So, what started as a average-to-below-average pour turned into above average after a few weeks.
Finish – 3.5/5
Much hotter than the palate. The cereal grain carried through the entire sip with notes of caramel. The finish also had some black pepper carry over and a more pronounced vanilla note than the rest of the sip.
Again, after a few weeks there was a heavy pear and raisin note. This came out of nowhere and started dominating the sip throughout. I’ve never seen a bottle evolve like this one did. It’s very consistent.
Value – 2/5
I love me a high proof wheater, but I think the $110 price tag is too much for this bourbon. It’s a pretty good pour but it’s at a very hard-to-stomach price point. Once you cross into (and over) the $100 range, you’re now competing with some heavy hitters like Knob Creek 12 year, Russell’s Reserve SiB, and other bourbons that I think are much better.
Verdict
3.13/5
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 4.25 – 5
- Gold – 3.25 – 4.24
- Silver – 2.75 – 3.24
- Bronze – <2.75
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.