Monk's Road Single Barrel Bourbon

Privately selected & bottled exclusively for: Log Still Veterans 2023 Barrel number: LSD6998 Bottle number: 132 Proof: 122.77 Something gripped me about the Log Still distillery when I visited them earlier this week. For being nestled quite far in a rural area, it really welcomes people in, starting as soon as you see the iconic water tower in the distance. The whole music and event scene is super unique and helps to bring people in, but it always boils down to how the spirits come across, and there was something about the classic Monk's Road bourbon that I had that was impressive in a way that I haven't experienced with other craft American whiskey in quite some time. I took a gamble and went with the last bottle of this single barrel, mostly after learning that it was chosen by all the veterans working at the distillery (I believe it was 13 total vets), and being assured that most of them were Air Force, so it was likely that it was a quality barrel. Life turned even better when I noticed the proof was so high (the highest off all the single barrel batches they offered at the time), which is even further proof that military was involved in the process. For being a young, wheated bourbon with no other specialities used or found in the distilling process, the classic Monk's Road had a well-rounded flavor that steered away from the expected softness and sweetness of most other wheated bourbons. Although this particular single barrel of this whiskey was available for tasting there, I decided to purchase it blind, and we'll see how the Nelson County veterans picked after all. I can't remember if the base Monk's Road was 4 or 6 years aged, but even with the higher age, the color is quite impressive in it's depth, without knowing the size or char level of the barrels. I attribute this to the high absence of excess water, which is further evidenced during the first few smells from the glass. Instead of the ethanol being overbearing and burning the nostrils, it instead helps concentrate the other notes found. The nose is full of the iconic sweet grain smell from a freshly cooked mash that just started fermentation, the same smell that wafted over the whole campus of the distillery while I was there. This may be the best American whiskey that has captured this scent in the final spirit, especially so because of the high concentration from the aforementioned proof. Strangely enough, I also smell iconic cinnamon and spearmint/grass that comes along with rye whiskey, despite none being used here in leiu of the sweeter, softer wheat. Rounding things out, there are also notes of cream soda as well as a slight earthy/smoky smell. First flavors are full of cinnamon and other similar baking spices, but blend alongside the expected soft body created from the wheat. The proof is initially fairly approachable, but quickly moves to scorch the gums, but more on the surface than the penetrating manner that rye usually does. A slight watery earthiness surfaces, and although there is a creamy and an even smaller floral flavor present if I really reach for them, the burning ethanol turns away any sweetness or further flavors, and keeps the mouth hot all the way through the finish and beyond. As compared to the classic Monk's Road bourbon, this is aggressive, hot, and difficult to find any secondary tasting notes... Which makes it a highly desirable spirit for any service member that needs that stiff drink. I won't say I prefer the batched original version over this based on taste alone, but I can say that if you don't desire a more powerful, concentrated craft bourbon flavor in leiu of the more approachable body of the proofed down, batched version, then this single barrel isn't for you. But if that does sound good, this is a very nice price point (I like how Distiller considers ~$60 as 3 out of 5 dollar signs in cost, despite this being very affordable for the craft American whiskey market) that blends the flavors of both rye and wheat based bourbons, despite only using the latter as the flavoring grain. I think this may be too aggressive as a neat drinker, but has an almost infinite excitement for use in cocktails and other ice-based drinks, considering the fresh mash flavor is still present in the core, but just needs a little bit of taming to shine through.