Rebel Yell 10 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

This one grew on me. I didn't care for it the first time I tried it, but love it now that I have let it set for a few weeks after opening it. I get a lot of brown sugar or caramel on the flavor and the nose. A very sweet bourbon that is smooth start to finish.

My review is for Barrel # 4744184. As others on this site have noted, there was a lot of hype surrounding this wheated bourbon, and I've heard more than one person suggest that this is a great alternative to Old Rip Van Winkle 10. Serving suggestion: add a tiny splash of water and let it sit for about ten minutes; doing this will open up the flavors. The nose offers vanilla and brown sugar, with a pleasing oak note in the background... you can tell immediately that this is a quality aged bourbon. I get similar flavors on the palate as well but a really satisfying leather note emerges on the finish that adds complexity to the experience. It's priced right and will be offered a few times a year. Believe the hype.

Barrel #5043516 | Aged Since 05/2006 Nose - Dark brown sugar caramel, oaky vanilla, hints of coffee, roasted sweet nuts, light milk chocolate. Taste - Very smooth milk chocolate covered dark vanilla caramel, oaky vanilla, hints of sweet mocha foam, lightly drying, hint of cherry at the back of the palate. Finish - Dark cherry lingers and mixes with a nice oaky vanilla caramel sweetness. Score - 87/100 Final Thoughts - The nose on this one doesn't do the taste justice. It noses a bit oaky, but it's not as much so once it hits the tongue. Has a nice mix of flavors I find quite enjoyable (coffee, dark caramel, cherry) and sips very well neat. Has enough "oompf" to stand up in a cocktail, but try to focus on cherry/chocolate flavors as I think those would go best with this. As always with a single barrel product, be aware of barrel variances and no two barrels are the same.

Barrel #4744182, aged since 9/2005. Smells like a wheater, slight floral tones and honey, after a minute it opens up and you get some caramel and butterscotch. Very pleasant nose. Feels heavy on the tongue. Sweet, some butterscotch, then cinnamon hits and the finish is warm. The flavor and spice lingers a bit, and you get a slightly bitter, chocolatey aftertaste. This seems like the perfect proof, you defnitely feel it but it doesn't overwhelm the palate. Quite flavorful. Adding a limestone water ice cube heightened the sweet notes, and interestingly, smoothed it out on the front end yet added a sharpness to the back end. Well done, Luxco. 3/1/17 Smells like a spring day. Grainier this time, smells fuller than when I first cracked open this bottle. Smooth and rich on the tongue, sweet honey notes, clove, and bit of leather and spice that prevents this from being cloying. Butterscotch aftertaste, with a hint of dark chocoate bitterness, and nice warmth going down. Delicious. 5/17/17