Rebel Distiller's Collection Bourbon

Hot hot hot Tasted at D and J’s Good

Nose of orange peel, Honey Nut Cheerios, light barrel char. Palate of barrel spice and sweet dark fruit jam Finish of short to medium length of barrel spice and clove Pretty good pour, spice comes on a bit strong and therefore not as balanced for a wheated bourbon as I look for, but still a nice unique pour

Barrel 7533588/Barreled Nov. 2016/Approx. 5yr "Get a Piece of the Rock" (Rockingham NC ABC) NOSE: Honeycomb, Straw, Cinnamon Stick, Orange Peel, Sticky Toffee, Orange Peel, Musty Oak. NEAT: Fruit Forward. At times it was almost like popping a random handful of Jelly Belly beans in your mouth. Just an assortment of tart fruit. Orange Peel, Bitter Tart Cherry, Crabapple, Not Quite Ready Peach, Cinnamon Discs, Black Pepper, Drying Oak Tannins, Light Toffee, and some Barnyard Funk. Fairly Warm Finish with a growing KYHug. Tart Cherry, Oak, and Unlit Cigar Tobacco coat and layer the palate. This has a great clingy, coating mouthfeel. There was a note on both the nose and palate that just eludes description. It has a "powdery" quality and I just can't quite place it. SPLASH: Not much change to the nose, but the palate gets a floral note and a little increase in the sweetness. Oak also becomes a bit more dominant. VERDICT: I was surprised by the Tart Fruit Character of this barrel. I was tempted to use the descriptor "Fruity Pebbles", but I believe that all Flintstone references are to be reserved strictly for George Dickel releases. It definitely had what you want in a Single Barrel, a unique sipping experience. These Rebel releases (the Cask Strength included) have all been pretty solid, with deep flavors and a wonderful coating mouthfeel. I wish they were just a tad older, but at 113 proof and around $40, it is still decent VFM. It's a solid 3.75, but gets bumped up to a 4 by the unique flavor profile.

Citrusy cinnamon red hots. A bit numbing to the tongue! Not sure I’d call it smooth, Rebel is a good name for it! Lots going on here.