Ironroot Republic Texas Straight Corn Whiskey 2020 Single Cask #4 (Lost Lantern)

Water was definitely needed to tame this beast. Added some water, tasted, then added some more water. Big buttercream frosting, butterscotch, creme brulee, apple, cinnamon. Spicy barrel on the back end. I like the buttery front of the palate on this, but I prefer the finish on the other LL Ironroot. This hits me as fairly similar to the Balcones True Blue Cask Strength, but better. Overall, I do think I like the other Lost Lantern Ironroot better, but this is really good too. Another winner, @ctbeck11 - thank you again!

Very good, smooth finish. Tastes like a more upscale Maker’s Mark

After the rave reviews from @ctbeck11 and @PBMichiganWolverine , my interest was piqued to sample this one, plus they are currently available for purchase from Seelbachs, so time to try it out before I buy it thanks to a generous sample provided by @jonwilkinson7309 Once I opened the sample and poured it in my glass, the first thing you notice is that this is a hot one that caused some sinus damage on the first nosing. After a good dose of water and a little time, it calms that alcohol bite down then really opens up with a thick rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting that seems to be filling my living room at the moment. The nose starts with that rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting followed by toasted marshmallow and fresh made cornbread then fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and black cherries that transitions to barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, rugged Cowboy boots and sun soaked old barn with high ethanol burn. The taste is a rich mouthfeel starting with a high wood spice that fades to rich butterscotch cream cheese frosting followed by burnt black marshmallow and fresh made cornbread with honey on top then fruits of sautéed cinnamon apples and black cherries that transitions to barrel spices of ginger, cloves, nutmeg, rugged Cowboy boots and sun soaked old barn with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with butterscotch pudding, stroopwafel cookies, apple pie filling, black cherries, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, leather and old polished oak. Wow, I did not expect a young corn whiskey to be so good with a rich decadent nose, mouthfeel and taste with notes of thick caramel, citrus and fairly well balanced oak. The only downside for this one is that the oak comes on a bit too much, overpowering the taste in the front before finally fading to allow those notes from the taste to come through. In a side by side with Saint Cloud 7 year, the Saint Cloud was much better balanced while the Ironroot’s high oak bite was its main fault. At a price tag of $108, I’d say that this is a good value for those that enjoy big bold Texas whiskey.

First sip…yeah, we’re in Texas. I’m a huge fan of what I consider (personally) as the best craft distillers US has to offer: Balcones and Garrison from Texas, DelBac from Arizona, McKenzie from New York, Westland from Washington State , and St George from California. Each has a distinctive regional character. Texas is the one that big and bold. Balcones and Garrison are easy to find, but Ironroot isn’t, at least not outside Texas. But, thanks to @jonwilkinson7309 , who sent me a generous pour, I got to finally try the other Texan out of the their triumvirate. This is big, brash, and bold. Think Garrison Cowboy, minus a bit of the oak. Starts with a deep mahogany color, and noses off with oak , cedar, and spice. Taste hits you with heft —-plenty more of the oak, backed up with vanilla and cinnamon. If you like ECBP, or Garrison Cowboy, this is right up your alley. One key note: add a chunk of ice or some water. You’ll need it. Personally, I’d rank this ahead of the Cowboy because of the price…$100 vs the $300-400 (which is silly for any bourbon ). Now, keep in mind, this is a one-off Lost Lantern independent bottling. I’m not sure if the regular Ironroots are this bold. But this same bottle bought down the Lost Lantern website when it first came as an offering. If you see it…buy on sight, and consider it as saving $200-300 over the Cowboy. Thanks @jonwilkinson7309 for the pour!

Nose - rich oak, butterscotch, powdered sugar, vanilla frosting, marshmallow, cocoa, dusty corn, candy corn, fig, plum, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, black cherry, sweet floral notes, fruit punch, moderate to high ethanol burn. Taste - butterscotch, black cherry, candy corn, vanilla bean, mint, plum, black pepper, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, dark chocolate, spicy rich oak, fruit punch, floral notes, marshmallow, moderate to high ethanol burn, finishing medium long with black cherry, rich oak, butterscotch, and spicy pepper flavors. Oh good Lord, this is wonderful. There’s no doubt in my mind that this is from Texas. It’s rich and dense with a beautiful mouthfeel. The European oak maturation has done wonders for the simplicity of corn whiskey. I wouldn’t call it complex, but there’s much more going on here than I would have expected. This easily bests the Santa Fe and New York Distilling bottlings from Lost Lantern, and I can see why this is the only one that’s currently sold out. If it wasn’t, there would already be two in the mail for me. I took Jon’s advice and added a few drops of water to tame the proof a bit. It definitely helps. I think it actually increases the complexity. More of the fruitiness shines through without diminishing the rich caramel and oak backbone. Overall this is excellent, and probably about as good as corn whiskey could ever hope to be. I wish I could buy a bottle for my collection. A huge thank you to @jonwilkinson7309 for providing the sample. This one is special, and a worthy dram to mark the occasion of my 300th review.