Tastes

I'm fairly certain I did not know this product even existed up until a few weeks ago when I saw it specifically listed as the spirit in a cocktail. The name is intriguing enough that I had to ask what it was, where I then learned about the Heaven Hill product with an fun film history. A few days later, when stocking up a liquor store, I found this accidentally, mostly because the label looks nothing like how I pictured it in my head. It's bland, dull, unattractive, and simple in a bad way, which made me think that was why I found it on the bottom shelf. The extremely cheap price tag almost turned me away (you get what you pay for), but I remembered the bartender from before telling me this was one of the best bonded bourbons for the price, so here we are. Interestingly enough, this same recommendation was echoed by the cashier at the store, so I'm hoping I'm in for a treat here. The color is simple and fairly light, but as expected for 4 years aged; given the cheap price and availability almost anywhere, I would be astonished to find out this was aged a day over 4 years. From a distance, the ethanol jumps from the glass, but smells raw with a hint of young corn. Up close, the same scent is amplified and slightly off-putting, with a touch of mid-aged rye behind that. The oak is present in several different ways: buttery and sweet up front, but eventually turns into dry and bitter. Very little ethanol burn; this hits the nose like more of a 90 proof. The initial body is light and dry, with a bitterness from what tastes like charcoal filtering following. The body warms a bit more, with tasted flavors of slightly spicy and grassy rye as a separate note. This same rye hits the front of the gums pretty hard, but lingers only in heat and not necessarily flavor. The finish is a little less hot, and becomes dry and more easily approachable and dissectable the longer time goes on. This is also when a nutty flavor comes into play, which is another common flavor component of charcoal filtering. I'm definitely pretty ignorant when it comes to the reason why American whiskey is filtered at all, let alone through charcoal as a common source. I know of charcoal's filtering properties, so that's not that unusual, but with so many unfiltered or less intrusive filtering methods and products out there that show incredible success, why is this method still being practiced so much? Tennessee whiskey is one thing, but other American whiskey with this charcoal flavor seem to be correlated with cheap and mass-produced mega-brands, and I have to wonder who's buying enough of these products to keep them in production. Unfortunately with the extreme price hikes in the whiskey market right now, it stands to reason that the incredibly low prices of this and similar whiskies may be attracting buyers simply because of the affordability, with a sacrifice on taste just to save a little money. It's all speculation, of course, but it seems like a specific product that incites this type of questioning may not be the best spend for those with this line of thinking.

Barrel #: 19-156 I'm not usually a fan of the namesake rye whiskey from Old Pepper, as I think the barrel strength 1776 delivers a more reliable flavor for much less cost. However, since I haven't seen that for sale outside of the distillery (only the proofed down version), I wanted something to sit alongside it on the shelf but with a more specific flavor profile. After trying the 3 different single barrels for sale at the distillery at the time, I decided on this one, although for trying it only a week ago, it's a little sad that it's not very memorable. However, with 100% rye in the mashbill (two in a row, nice!), it's hard to hate, but with an empty palate, I'm excited to dissect it a little further. A darker brown color like that of walnut and deep caramel made with a touch of molasses; a nice color for only 4 years in the classic 52 gallon barrel. The rye smells a bit raw, with the spice present but unrefined, alongside a very obvious scent of fresh berries, red grapes, and a touch of lemon zest. A small sweet, floral note is found behind all this, but forced air from the room showcases more of the young, slightly spiced grain in it's simplicity. The body starts off light, but climbs to a nice peak of hotness in a short period of time. Without any added air, the flavor reflects the same berry and light citrus notes from the nose, while the natural spice creeps along the gum line without pushing too deeply. However, with just a small breath in, cinnamon in the form of Red Hots (my absolute favorite flavor expression in rye whiskey) is tasted, but falls away quite quickly. I can't tell if the air or repeated sips causes the hotness to stack and build, until I remembered that 116.6 proof is no small feat, despite not smelling or tasting this high ethanol up until this point. I do get a little more malt notes as I begin finishing up the glass. I'm glad I was able to sample this again on a more empty palate, because I think this barrel combines flavors expected from classic rye grain with a little bit of berry and citrus, which are a little rarer from the rye side. Not a mind-blowing bottle in any way, but a great showcase and use of 100% rye from a distillery that has shown their dedication to this grain. It's not a terrible price point, as it's low enough to be used as a more "top shelf mixer," but high enough to demand trying neat. I'd love to see this as a barrel pick around reputable stores or bars (and I may have already without knowing it), and now that this particular barrel has given me a good experience, I'll be able to keep an eye out and maybe pick up a few more barrel offerings to sample further.

Barrel number: 6620 Selected by/barrel name: Liquor Barn 2022 barrel 3 I really don't like supporting Whistlepig, but there's just too much on the surface here to think it may not be a hidden gem, provided the barrel was a good pick. The one thing I can't get over is the total lack of responsibility with where this stuff actually comes from. Historically most products are sourced from Canada, but you'll only know that if you read the tiny print on the back label, and now this bottle was distilled "somewhere" in Vermont, but bottled in Mineville, NY. It's all about the Whistlepig farm with this brand, but it's hard to tell exactly what it is that's actually made or distilled there, and really inserts a distrust from the customer with all the runaround. Having said that, Whistlepig (and where they source from) ABSOLUTELY knows rye whiskey, and I'd be pressed to name even a half dozen other 100% rye whiskies, especially ones that are easily accessible or even American made. I'm not sure if the very specific 107.8 proof was a result of this particular barrel, since that section of the label doesn't look like it is removable or handwritten, unlike the very separate label showcasing the barrel number and name. Still, this whiskey has a great mash bill, great proof, and at 6 years aged (how refreshing to see an ACTUAL age statement, too), it's right on the cusp of where rye starts to get too sweet and mellowed (perhaps a little past that point, even). Batched Piggyback rye is a staple rye for drinking neat or mixing, and if I appreciated the distillery more, I would always have a bottle around. Quite a bit darker for the age; the light orange-brown suggests more than 6 years aged, or smaller barrels used. Only some of the cinnamon from the grain is smelled from a distance, but the inside of the glass is full of maple, dry, candied citrus, and some natural oak sugars. Without other grains to crowd the nose, the cinnamon from the rye is less aggressive and more natural, and pairs nicely with the proof, although the ethanol is much lighter than expected at this number. The body is very light, shockingly so, at first, with only a slight build to what feels like 90 proof altogether. An earthiness flavor arises quickly, like mushroom and wet cave air, before any of the classic rye flavors are tasted. Cinnamon, cracked wheat (somehow), and a slight sour note follow this up. The natural spice enters the gums and creates a medium hotness in the mouth, but it fades rather quickly, even with repeated sips. The finish brings back more of the wet earthiness, which lingers a medium amount of time with only a slight dryness. The original Piggyback rye is such a good balance all over after the batching is finished, whereas the single barrel is able to capture the nuances that are usually blended out. In this case, the rye gives off a wet earthiness most of the time, which I've tasted before, mostly in high rye mash bills or after a longer aging. This is by far my least enjoyed flavor component for a rye whiskey, and although I believe it's a factor of this barrel and not others, it doesn't make me hate the single barrel program or concept. As with most other distilleries and their single barrels, this only strengthens the connection I have with the concept, and makes me want to try different barrels (and other store's picks, to be safe) to discover more corners of the full spectrum of options.

Round 2 with RD One, this time tasting the finished whiskey that specifically brought me into the distillery after looking at the website regarding the new RD One released products. I have driven dozens of miles, one way, just to sample BEER that was aged/finished in amburana barrels, but have never seen a spirit aged in amburana barrels, let alone finished in/with it. Different from the French oak/maple barrel finished versions, this one utilizes a small amount of short amburana honeycomb wood pieces, which are placed in the fully aged barrels for 8-12 weeks, if memory serves correctly for the timeline. Although I do wish the distillery would make a rye whiskey, the choice to finish a rye bourbon with amburana was the right one, considering the extreme cinnamon and dry earthiness from the amburana pairs well with younger, sweet corn and the small amount of rye as more of a "jump starter." The color is deep golden, but doesn't cross into any territory I would consider "brown." A small scent of wet cinnamon can be smelled from a distance, but only with a draft of wind or air, and isn't crazy potent or overpowering. Up close, the nose is powerfully full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other baking spices, and perhaps even a bit of maple; the image of spiced pancakes with a cinnamon honey butter and fresh maple syrup is definitely not that far off. The sweetness is definitely dialed back, and there's an almost fruity sourness somewhere in the background, like the tartness from a green apple. Repeated smelling brings out a small note of the young, raw corn. The initial flavor is slow to build, but does crescendo into a hot, medium-full body, with the rye flavor dominating enough to forget this is a bourbon at all. Remembering that the rye content here is actually quite low, I begin focusing more on the amburana notes, which really highlights the wet cinnamon, as if it has already been steeped in some tea. Before I can dig any deeper, the ethanol really starts to sneak up, which was unexpected given that it was barely present on the nose. There's some sugary, almost candied citrus notes present as well, but the finish is undeniably hot and full of rye-like notes that have been sweetened by the corn content; ending up with an almost doughy, cinnamon-roll-like flavor. Whether you're an amburana wood fan or not, it's hard to disagree regarding this being one of the most unique wood finished whiskeys of all time, at least in my experience. You'd be extremely challenged to find another amburana barrel finished whiskey, including all the hyper small distilleries, just because people seem to be afraid to utilize the potent flavor profile of said wood. Even for me, this is still such a powerful amburana flavor profile, which is shocking for just the short finishing time and amount of wood used. As I was struggling to think how an entire bottle of this whiskey would be used, I asked the distillery bartender to provide a small sample of both this product and the maple finished barrel mixed together, which very quickly and easily secured purchase of both bottles, and my personal recommendation.

When you buy a bunch of new bottles on the way down to vacation, you try them on the cabin balcony in the middle of the woods, duh. I had previously been to this distillery sometime in the last 6-12 months, but they only had the WM. Tarr items, which were far too expensive for what they were. Having seen a few RD One bottles pop up in local liquor stores, I wanted to inquire more about what they were now offering, and since this was on the way to my vacation destination, I went to have my questions answered. I tried all offered RD One products, and learned that this particular finished bottle utilizes a long string of maple-sap-soaked French oak "chips" (which themselves were lightly toasted) that is many feet long, which terminates in a barrel bung, and is inserted for a couple months to finish the barrel. The lack of barrel transference is the first I've ever seen for any finished whiskey, other than the few distilleries that create products with wood pieces in the actual bottle, which themselves always end up being an unknown time for the finish. Still, this is a unique and productive way to introduce finishing flavors without overpowering the base spirit or upsetting the barrel "ecosystem." The color is that of a higher aged whiskey (think 8+ years), deep chestnut with some amber honey around the edges. This is a nice outcome, considering the real age is less than half of what is perceived, meaning the color came from the delicious maple sap and/or added finishing wood. An aggressive yet welcome ethanol meets the nose alongside the obvious maple, but with the classic notes of sweet corn and spicy rye from the base spirit outweighing the added sweet bomb. A hint of toast, lemon zest, and florality are also found, likely from the French oak, but repeated scents only work to awaken the sweet tooth response to all that fresh maple sap. The initial taste is fairly hot, with the high corn (over 70%, as I recall from asking) giving a natural sweetness to the base spirit, while the small amount of rye delivers a small yet potent spice through the tip of the tongue and the gums. The soft toast, citrus, and floral notes found on the nose from the French oak appear to be the dominate flavor through the middle, with the ethanol causing everything to grow into a shout as opposed to a whisper. The maple is present, but just enough to pull the natural taste from it without providing an added sweetness or sugary body. The finish is dry and hot, but after giving it some time, the maple and the soft French oak meld together into a balanced flavor note through to the end, despite it still being quite hot. This is a really great representation of what barrel finishing can and should be, as the added flavors are there just enough to change the base spirit and warrant selling a separate product, without overpowering anything or changing the base flavor altogether. Because all the notes are very loud due to the higher ABV, this is best used in a cocktail, and is worth every penny to showcase the difference between a maple barrel finish and some maple syrup simply added to the base of said cocktail. The distillery is absolutely worth a visit as well, as the customer service was extremely pleasant, and all questions asked were answered honestly, which is unfortunately a minority behavior for most modern-day distilleries. For example, I was told that the "double barrel finished" line in the title of this product was done as a marketing gimmick, since this never actually changed barrels at all, let alone used two different finishing barrels. The only difference between this and the French oak finished product is that the added French oak wood-chip-snake device was soaked in the maple sap for this product, but is still not really a "double" finish by any means. Side note: the barrels used are the classic 52 gallon size, which I appreciate as far as this method of finishing goes, as it allows the wood-snake to "swim" around more, as opposed to being cramped in smaller barrels just for the sake of higher surface area. As simple as RD One and their craft is, I can see great things coming from them in the next 5-10 years if they keep this up, especially if they ignore the flash and glitter of award chasing and instead putting out honest, delicious products like this.

Hand selected by/barrel name: Blake's Juice Single barrel number: 8036 Barreled date: 27JUL2018 Proof: 102 I skipped ahead to the Hand Picked bottles I got just to stack them up next to my other ones on the shelf. While I was at the distillery recently, I tried a huge flight of some past Hand Picked bottles, and while this was on said flight, my palate was shot to hell after something like a dozen plus samples while I was there. So, I picked up both the available Hand Picked bottles at the gift shop so I could try them again here. Having just had a single barrel of the Select 93, I had wondered what the difference was between that and the Hand Picked Collection. Having bought a few of the Hand Picked bottles already, I would guess that it's the same mash bill of the Select 93, just presented at cask strength. With a lower 102 proof and just shy of 5 years aged, I'm guessing this will both showcase fresh grain from the mash while not being too light or raw to be distracting or overpowering. The color is a little light, yet still a tad darker than the Select 93. Cinnamon, fresh rye, toffee, and caramel sauce on the nose paint a fairly classic bourbon picture, but the sweetness really dominates. The small amount of rye in the mash balances the nose well, though, while the ethanol reinforces the spiciness but remains approachable. The initial flavor has a medium heat, with notes of a sour earthiness and burnt toffee. The rye begins to penetrate and fuel the burn through the gums, with the earthiness still present but with notes of unwashed, unshucked corn still on the ear. The finish is incredibly hot, with a combination of cracked black pepper, grass, and cinnamon from the rye, while the body turns slightly dry. After repeated sips, a hint of spearmint appears around the finish. A simple iteration of a classic bourbon mash turns into an end product that simply isn't that good, to my own palate. The earthiness seems out of place here, and is even more off-putting with the strong burn throughout. Even with this upset, it almost increases my love for the single barrel concept, because you can't win them all, and barrels like this mean that there will be good ones on the horizon. Here's to the pick anyway though, Blake, despite your abhorrent use of the world "juice."

Single barrel number 1541 Aged 4 years Exclusively selected by "Ciao Chows!" on 04AUG2022 One of the many bottles that I picked up recently in a lovely (and expensive) birthday trek through my favorite distilleries, Limestone Branch made for half a dozen of those pick-ups, with no regrets at all. Starting from the lowest proof, this single barrel of the classic Select 93 bourbon was selected by one of the distillery's dogs, or more accurately, the handler of said dog. Ciao, I believe, was the pup named after this barrel, and was alongside a cat's barrel pick at the gift shop. If I remember correctly, the pet barrel picks cycle monthly, or perhaps quarterly. As fun of an idea as this was, it's been quite some time since I've ever seen a single barrel of the original Select 93, let alone owned one, but I blame Ohio for that. A very light color compared to other Select 93 bottles I've had, and even lighter in the glass than the bottle. A powerful nose of malted rye and more ethanol than expected are found alongside young corn, but not as raw and unrefined as younger ages would be. Repeated smelling brings up both chocolate and cherry, with just a hint of a floral finish. The initial taste is light and floral, but soon explodes into chocolate syrup, but the classic Hershey's over a smaller company's gourmet sauce. After a few more sips, the rye spice is tasted but just barely sinks into the gum line. The corn also comes around, and although it still tastes fairly young, it's starting to finally mellow out and round off the edges; another 18 months or so would really shoot this to an amazing level. A little more floral flavor surfaces around the finish, where the chocolate flavor from before starts to fall off. The finish itself becomes more and more young and predictable as far as craft bourbons go, but the rye spice does continue to build and a salted peanut note fades in and out. At the end of the day, there's no way I was going to hate this, but as far as single barrel picks go, this is slightly more complex with different flavor profiles than you would get from the batched Select 93, and would be worth, say, $10 more than the original, but probably no more than that. As I blacked out when I purchased everything at the gift shop, I do not remember how much this costs, but do think it's worth having as both a replacement to the batched version, as well as alongside said version for minor comparisons. Still, for a dog, I think this was a paws-itively good pick.

Batch number: 1 I am so happy that I was not only able to find and buy this bottle, but even happier that it's being sold to the general public instead of being locked away and trapped in the allocation game. It's also very nice to see proceeds going to a local veterans group, although I do wish the percentage donated was disclosed, instead of hoping it's more than 1% of profits. Although this isn't the batch from the barrel I signed back in 2019, I'm still happy to have the first batch, and will gladly wait a couple more years until my barrel/batch is ready. I tried this at the distillery a couple weeks ago, and didn't really think much of it, but given the layers of uniqueness and good price point, I'm happy to support local veterans and the distillery by proudly displaying this on my shelves. Chestnut brown and amber on the edges reflect the color in the glass, which is likely from the grain as opposed to the low age of only 4 years. A bit of honey oats are smelled up front, alongside some fresh, raw corn, but with a little more focus on natural sugary sweetness than the sweetness from the barrel. The rye is also present in a classic, grassy, cinnamon spice note, and is now smelled against sweet red berries and blueberries, which I find both welcoming and balanced. Almost no ethanol on the nose, like you might expect from an 80 proof rather than 100 proof. The body is light and boring at first, with what seems like the rye leading the charge, but after swallowing and even more so with some added air is when the corn really jumps to the forefront. There's a small taste of the aforementioned berries that are nicely spiced from the rye, but raw, young corn does eventually overtake everything else. The ethanol burns evenly and somewhat heavily through to the finish, which turns the young corn flavor to closer of unaged distillate. It turns out this tastes pretty similarly plain in my home environment the same as it did at the distillery. This would really be something with 8 or so years of age behind it, giving all that different and unique corn time to mellow out, but only time itself can decide if the distillery will go that route. Still, it's one of the most impressive initiatives from a distillery to honor veterans, and is miles above those veteran owned/operated distilleries that release one military-themed product (that's usually sourced) and prices it for hundreds of dollars just to make a quick buck. At the end of the day, this doesn't taste nearly close to the price point, but all the other stipulations get it fairly close, and although I wouldn't recommend buying it for the flavor or even for the mixing (unless unique, young bourbons are your thing), I would certainly push you to buy if you're looking for a great way to support veterans, or if you're one yourself. Cheers, and I thank everyone out there for their service to this country.

I had forgotten that I bought a little taster of this while traveling to this distillery, but I'm glad I did, because I despise wheat distillate in any form, but haven't had an actual high mash percentage wheat whiskey to seal the thought. I know this distillery places a lot of care into their spirits, and although there is no age statement with this and the color suggests a very young final product, a 95% mash bill of wheat should really showcase the flavor of the grain. As a side note, I did find a Distiller entry for this spirit already, but with no less than 3 discrepancies entered, found it easier to make a new, correct entry than wait for Distiller to care about quality control. The color is golden with a hint of amber on the edges, and since their rye whiskey and bourbon from this distillery have much darker colors, I would guess this is a second or third use barrel, and not aged long enough to develop any color depth. The nose is malty like that of a single malt whiskey, but does actually have some vanilla and caramel sweetness from the barrel. There's a hint of wheat-based cereal, like Mini Wheats, and an even smaller hint of tropical fruit and banana behind that. The ethanol is slightly more potent than expected at a 90 proof point. The body is quite light, and turns into a predicted soft, young wheat/malt flavor after a few seconds. Just when I thought this is what the flavor would be through to the finish, a spiced, slightly heavier body comes to the forefront and creates a hot rye-like spice around the tongue and the front of the gums. With so much wheat and no rye in the mash, I'm shocked that the finish burns even hotter and deeper, especially since the proof is so much lower; this easily tastes like 110 proof or more. Even with this heat, this pairs nicely with another sip, as each new sip almost "cools down" the pallete. It takes a few minutes, but there is a very minute banana/clove Hefeweizen-like whisper of a note on the deep finish. This really was not what I was expecting for a wheat whiskey, and makes me wonder if this is an accurate representation of high percentage wheat whiskey overall. A lot of similarities to malt/barely and rye grain are both tasted and smelled, and with almost exclusively wheat in this mix, it's shocking that the softer, creamy, sweet flavors normally found in this grain are actually the least dominant. I'm not confident on how this would taste when mixed, so I wouldn't buy a full size bottle, not at least until I've tried a few more high percentage mash wheat whiskeys, which unfortunately are much harder to find in general, let alone in small 50ml bottles or at a bar where they're cheaper to sample.

Despite how difficult it usually is to find Whistlepig products, I continuously see this new bourbon in some of the worst liquor stores in Ohio, but ironically not so much the Piggyback rye. I think Whistlepig trying a bourbon is a great idea, especially to round out the market while still staying true to their rye specialty. Having said that, I hope that this is one of their very few products that isn't sourced, so we can finally see what the distillery is capable of other than buying and bottling other distilleries products. Even still, 6 years and 100 proof on a bourbon is a pretty decent combo, and may have some legs to stand against some other craft distilleries, so long as the "super high" corn mash bill doesn't overpower on the sweet side. #3 charred barrels seems like a great choice to even out some sweetness, though, while still providing the classic bourbon taste notes. Finally, the large, out-of-place "100%" in gold print on the back label has absolutely no context and makes no sense, but is very negligible if the liquid inside distracts enough. The color is quite light upon first glance, but not too far off considering the char and age time used. The nose is definitely full of sweet and candy, like those homemade chocolate or caramel bourbon balls you can find at some craft distilleries or even during the tours. Some of the raw corn can also be detected, but is not as harsh as much younger bourbons. The ethanol is hot, but doesn't burn through the nose, and is very well balanced. This same ethanol makes it very difficult to detect any rye, and without an actual mash bill, I can only hope the taste gives more insight. The body is extremely light at first, tasting weaker than most 80 proof products, but becomes spicier after a few more sips. The sweetness that was smelled is still here, but is much less potent alongside the light body; the chocolate is prominent, next to vanilla and some caramel. The rye is not tasted on the tongue, but instead inside a medium penetration of the gums long after the finish. Speaking of finish, it's full of semi-dry oak and somehow some malt that causes the end flavor to be more like a single-malt or blended whiskey that's been finished in several different bourbon barrels to concentrate that flavor aspect. All things considered, this costs a little bit more than what I would expect for a baseline, flagship craft distillery whiskey, and yet it delivers considerably less of an experience even if it were priced appropriately. The Piggyback line had already been established by this brand as their mixing whiskey, but whereas the rye whiskey nails this expectation and then some, the bourbon is far too weak to enjoy neat, and would likely fall apart in most cocktails as well. I would try it in cocktails where you need that sweet whiskey flavor, but would never make it the highlight; things like a bourbon smash or hot toddy would work well, but I'd never reach for this when making an old fashioned or mint julep. Even still, if I needed a bourbon with a wide palate like this, I would purchase one of at least a dozen other competitors that would deliver that flavor for a fraction of the price.