Marianne Eaves, Kentucky's first female Master Distiller, debuted Forbidden, the spirits industry's first white corn and white winter wheat expression of bold Kentucky bourbon. Inspired by Southern cooking, Forbidden is the culmination of nearly a decade of work by Eaves to capture the essence of an elegant mature bourbon achieved by nontraditional low-temperature fermentation.

"Total creativity involves a certain degree of rebellion. To be completely creative, I tend to do things that are a little bit forbidden," said Eaves, who has fully controlled the distillation, aging and bottling of Forbidden from grain to glass. "While creating Forbidden, I have had the freedom to cross deep into uncharted territory by using nontraditional ingredients and techniques. The resulting bourbon, on my palate, is perfection."

The first release of Forbidden is a small batch, hand-blended 5-year-old bourbon bottled at 95.2 proof. This bold and elegant expression is beautifully balanced and complex.

"With Forbidden, we've taken our time to create something completely original in Kentucky bourbon," said Daniel Rickenmann, who is one of the new brand's four South Carolina-based partners along with Eaves in Kentucky. "Forbidden is a bourbon you finish and say, 'This is my first drink and my last drink of the evening.' It's a symphony of flavor, complexity and warmth."

Distilled, aged and bottled at Bardstown Bourbon Co. by Marianne Eaves, Forbidden will be available initially in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina and online at an SRP of $129. The first release will include a highly allocated number of hand-blended bottles along with three single barrel cask strength expressions.