Tastes

Batch 99 59.2% abv; 118.4 proof Open 2 months Nose - Strong caramel and cinnamon, baked apples, allspice, clove, light cherry, hints of anise and dill, and medium ethanol. Palate - Caramel apples, stewed fruits, loads of cinnamon and allspice, sweet cereal grain, peanuts or mixed nuts, herbal blend, spicy rye and ethanol. This has a very chewy mouthfeel. Finish is medium-long with lots of oak and rye spice, toasted nuts, baked apples, and dusty herbal grain on the back end. Smoke Wagon for a long time was my white whale in NC. Seemingly every rural ABC store had Smoke Wagon except when I stopped by, but luckily a friend picked it up for me in Albemarle. This is excellent high rye bourbon, and is the best MGP sourced bourbon I've had to date. Most MGP bourbons I've had have a consistent young, grainy flavor that is rarely bad but rarely stands out as really good. The bourbons I've had in this category are from Smooth Ambler, Penelope, Old Soul, and Pinhook. The Smoke Wagon adds additional layers of fruit, baking spices, and oak that make it a standout amongst MGP sourced competitors. Belle Meade is a close second. The 108.3 proof Reserve has a lot in common with Smoke Wagon. I know there are many other brands that have MGP bourbon, but unfortunately in NC we don't see a lot of those.

Open 11 months Nose - Caramel, grain, dry cinnamon and allspice, salted and slightly sour peanut shells, light orange peel, and medium ethanol. Palate - Caramel again, dry oak, peanuts and salty peanut shells, dusty grain, and light cherries. It tastes almost exactly how it smells. Finish is medium-short with drier and more tannic oak and baking spices, powdered caramel, salty bitter notes, and a harsher ethanol kick at the end that makes it seem young. This one is hard to get in NC and also frequently makes lists as best value bourbons under $30. When I saw it I had to grab it, and it's been largely ignored over almost a year. It either goes into cocktails or I force people into tasting it blind out of my glass decanter. It's not bad, but clearly overhyped. I would just buy Old Forester, easier to find and a similar profile.

Nose - Caramel, butterscotch, cereal grain, cinnamon, nutmeg, and very light ethanol. Palate - Light caramel, vanilla, grain, light stone fruit, and dry baking spices. Finish is medium-short with an odd grainy and bitter oak note, rye spice, and burnt vanilla. I participated in a free virtual tasting for this, everyone got 2 oz samples. I would never buy an 80 proof celebrity whiskey, but it's free so why not. Honestly, this isn't bad. It is more complex than its proof and age suggest. But, I can buy Rare Breed at this price. No way this is worth the money. If you want an 80 proof sipper there are plenty under $30 that are better buys.

Batch 069 61.2% abv; 122.4 proof Open 3 weeks Nose - This just screams holiday dessert combined with a Manhattan: figs, plums, raisins, orange peel, cinnamon, blueberries, caramel, maple, sweet vermouth, and medium ethanol. Palate - Viscous and delicious: berry compote, raisins, cocoa, molasses, caramel, red wine, oak tannins, and lighter than expected ethanol. Finish is long with plum and berry flavored syrup coating the mouth, oranges, cinnamon, allspice, clove, black pepper, and medium ethanol kick that hits quickly but fades nicely. The finish is phenomenal. This is simply fantastic. The best word to describe it is decadent. It is rich with all kinds of fruit notes combined with thick and sweet syrupy flavors I get in a good cask strength bourbon like ECBP. I'm probably overrating this a little because it's the first cask strength Scotch I've had that wasn't peated, but this is so damn good. I've been wanting to try some sherry cask strength non-peated Scotch for a while now, but options are limited in NC. Now I'm worried the other few options on the shelf like Glenlivet Nadurra will severely disappoint.

Barrel No. 21-00249; Rick R-15 Bottling Date 01-12-2021 66.2% abv; 132.4 proof Open 1 month Nose - Ripe bananas, hot cinnamon bun, toffee, molasses, maple syrup, nutmeg, and strong ethanol. Palate - Gooey banana bread pudding, vanilla frosting, gingerbread, cinnamon bun, Belgian waffles drizzled with maple syrup, and noticeable ethanol kick. Finish is long with spicy oak and ethanol, drier cinnamon, toffee, and leftover banana bread. My brother also brought a bottle of this for Thanksgiving, so I had to test whether Jack Daniel's is still good? Of course it is. I haven't had a single barrel that wasn't excellent. JDSBBP remains one of the best "bourbons" on the shelf, and a great alternative to Old Forester or ECBP.

Open 2 months Nose - Rich dark fruits, berry jam, raisins, musty or mineral malt, honey roasted peanuts, cinnamon, light oak char, and light ethanol. Palate - Thin, honey malt, raisins, ripe apples, raspberries, donut pastry, and hint of tannic oak. Finish is medium-short with vanilla cake, light honey malt, light oak, and no ethanol bite. My brother brought this down during Thanksgiving. I took 150 mL home to taste and add to my Scotch infinity bottle. I also had Glenfiddich 14 with me, so it was nice to compare the two. They are radically different. The 14Y is all oak and bourbon notes, this is fruity and malty. I prefer this, but for $80 in NC I think you could do better. The nose is excellent, but the palate is thin and disappoints.

Barrel No. 1176; Bottle No. 109 Barrel Filled 12-31-2015 Secondary Fill 04-26-2018 Dumped in October 2020 Approximate age 4 years 10 months 62.0% abv; 124 proof Pick at Randleman ABC; Named "The Whiskey Man Hard Way Reserve" Open 11 months Nose - Oak, cinnamon, oak, baking spices, oak, caramel, oak, vanilla, oak, medium ethanol, and oak. Palate - Harsh oak, dry cinnamon, pulverized oak, vanilla dust, oak pulp, sawdust, oak sap, stale rye bread, wet oak leaves in a muddy puddle, coffee grounds, burned oak ash slurry. Finish is so freaking long, I can't get this wood out of my mouth. Please help me. This was a unique pick at Randleman ABC that was nowhere else in NC. I saw some hype for this, and for that price a double oaked barrel proof from a craft distiller seemed like a great deal.. It wasn't. This is one of the worst, if not the worst bourbon I've ever had. The nose actually isn't terrible, which is why I'm giving it 0.5 stars. There are some sweet notes hiding around the oak. But the taste is an entirely different story. This is borderline undrinkable. When it touches my tongue, my mouth and face twist in unnatural ways. I'm awash in brutal liquified wood pulp that has been soaking in Everclear for years. It is dry, hot, woody, tannic, and bitter in ways that you cannot imagine. I think the problem is compounded by two very important factors. It is a very young wheated bourbon that likely had few developed flavors before it was aged again for over 2 years! That seems way, way too long for a double oaked bourbon. I doubt Woodford, Old Forester, or Elijah Craig are double oaking their bourbon for 2.5 extra years. I've had this bottle for almost a year and have drank 15% of it? It is either going into the dark corners of my cabinet or down the drain after I finish this ounce.

Open 2 months Nose - Butterscotch, toffee, sweet cereal grain and malt, French toast, light honey, pear, green apple, and light ethanol. Palate - Molasses, toffee, caramel, milk chocolate, vanilla, crème brulee, butter cream, baking spices, and sweet oak. Finish is medium with drier oak tannins, clove, allspice, rye bread, cocoa, and light ethanol. This is a really great Scotch for the money. Compared to a lot of 14Y and 15Y Scotches on the market, this is markedly cheaper and 86 proof to boot. It has all of the classic single malt flavors mixed with sweet and spicy bourbon notes. I bet this would be phenomenal at cask strength.

Age 29 months Aged in 25 gallon new American oak Finished in ex-sherry casks (There is limited information on the aging and I cannot tell if the 29 months is total age or age pre-finish, or if this was entirely aged in ex-sherry.) 57.0% abv; 114 proof Open 1.5 months Nose - Plums, grapes, red wine, mulled wine, cinnamon, allspice, oak tannins, and medium ethanol. Palate - Ripe plums, figs, raisins, petit syrah, chocolate covered cherries, and coffee cake. Finish is medium-long with viscous wine and oak coating the tongue, gingerbread, rye bread, less than expected ethanol burn, and all kinds of dark fruits. Another winner in the Rua line from Great Wagon Road Distilling. I'll see a couple bottles of this lingering on the shelf at most local ABC stores, and I never pulled the trigger. Well, my friend did, and we split it in a trade. I'm impressed by this bottle. It is heavy on wine notes, at times it resembles a dark red wine aged in bourbon barrels instead of the inverse. Tons of dark and sweet fruit notes and a nice mix of spices and bread notes from the oak and malt. It doesn't taste gimmicky like the cheaper port and wine finished bourbons I've had. They have more of a candy/bubble gum flavor that to me doesn't enhance the bourbon at all. This, partially because it is a single malt, tastes harmonious. NC homegrown whiskey is mostly a joke, but Rua can compete with Westland and Balcones in my opinion. I have no clue about the aging timeline of this, it only says 29 months and information on the sherry cask finish is hard to find. My guess is 29 months is the total age, with ~1.5 years in the 25 gal. American oak like the American Single Malt and ~1 year in the ex-sherry.

Open 15 months Nose - Ripe black cherry, cotton candy grapes, bubble gum, honey roasted peanuts, honeycrisp apples, light oak, and light ethanol. Palate - Light berry syrup, caramel, infused honey, apple cider, cereal grain, chocolate covered peanuts, and golden raisins. Finish is medium-short with fruity and tannic wine notes, caramel, corn dust, and very light ethanol and oak. I picked this up over a year ago in Virginia. It's not bad, but I think low proof wine-finished bourbons aren't my thing. For the price this is a good value compared to the overall market. I also think this is richer than something like overpriced and overhyped Angel's Envy. I bet it compares favorably with some other overpriced finished bourbons too, but is looked down upon because it is Jim Beam. If you like Angel's Envy or Isaac Bowman, I would give this a try.