Clyde May's Straight Bourbon

Rich with lots of brown sugar. Finishes with just a little spice.

Sweet vanilla, charred oak, lightly fruity. Enjoyable, I liked it better than their Alabama style

Here I was hoping that, after trying Clyde May's American whiskey with the added apples, that this would be simply that but without the apples. Now I learn that it's aged 1 year less (why) and uses a hell of a lot of corn (bourbon is sweet enough as it is, chill on the extra corn). My hopes weren't originally high for this anyway, but if it's still a sourced MGP product, than at least the grain flavors should have no trouble shining through. Just like the American whiskey, the color is darker than is to be expected for only 5 years (God bless charred barrels). Thankfully, the rye scent leads, with cinnamon and some bananas foster, which I believe is also coming from the heavy corn. Moderate vanilla and less caramel are here from the barrel, ending with a basic corn syrup note. The scent is very similar to the American whiskey, so perhaps it truly is the same mashbill but without the apples. The body is light and watery, and has to be swished and swallowed before any flavor is acquired. Sweet corn and vanilla are present at first, with a more herbal side of rye present, while the spicier notes simultaneously dig into the guns (although only at a very shallow surface level). Barrel spice is present, but again, a little weak, with the grain surprisingly contributing the majority of the sweetness. The finish is slightly spicy, but still watery, and has a moderate charcoal note alongside some raw grain (somehow). This was indeed not a winner. This is a plastic bottle bourbon, a craft brand to rival Heaven Hill's "Quality House." I can tell potential is here, but nobody really wanted to go any further than to get something in a barrel and then into a bottle, and for me, it was easy to tell. Thankfully, this does allow just grains and oak to be the only flavors tasted without the addition of apples like the American whiskey, so this is better for a purist whiskey profile than that, but the lack of effort takes away a lot of character that is truly missed.

Small bottle neck pour, neat, did not let it sit. Vanilla and brown sugar nose with ethanol. Corn forward and cinnamon. Finish is fairly short and dry with oak and char. Fairly long hug that brings back warming spice after you think the finish is done.

Tried without ice and taste like a burned grain, maybe from the barrel and a heavy spice, I think cinnamon. But when I added ice, it had a vanilla butter sweetness.