Texas is a whiskey state, and it is starting to produce its own bourbons now. North Texas Distillers bottles it (they don't have a website yet), but I'm not sure where it is actually distilled. You can watch their bottling process here, featuring great music and a nice tag line, also featured on the bottle itself. It's from the 1835 flag of Texas independence: "Come and Take It." It refers to the canon on the flag that was taken from the Mexican army, not to Texas itself. Us Texans are proud, and this whiskey plays on that pride nicely.
But enough about Texas. Let's get to the bourbon.
1835 is a very sweet, mild bourbon. In fact, it's almost syrupy sweet. It's not a bad thing. I mean that it has a hint of syrup to it, not maple flavoring but more like molasses or brown sugar. Smooth, too. Easy to drink neat. Or make Manhattans with it, like I did. There's a banana smell to it, but that goes away in the taste. There's some wood notes, too, but a grassy flavor comes out in the end. I'm not sure about the corn/wheat mash content, but there's definitely a grassy flavor.
1835 goes down easy, perfect with my homemade pumpkin pie, which is pictured here. It's not the most flavorful or spicy bourbon, but it's really easy to drink. I would not have thought it was 45% ABV. My dad loves bourbons like this, so I'll probably get a bottle when he comes to visit.