Remus Repeal Reserve Series V (2021 Medley)

Nose is fairly subdued, featuring spun sugar, strawberry, green leafy vegetable, sawdust, and light generic citrus. Definitely a unique nose with lots to like, just wish it were a little stronger. Zero, and I mean ZERO ethanol presence, which is awesome. Those familiar with MGP expressions will find the familiar bright flavor profile here. Green apple, honey, mossy oak, and a light pepper and nutmeg spice. Flavors have depth and complexity while at the same time being very well rounded and seamlessly integrated. Finish is medium length with a sweetness that is a trait in MGP bourbons that I like to call “ice cream sundae”; namely French vanilla and caramel. It’s a little unusual to have a bourbon go from a brassy opening to a darker finish, but that’s what these nicely aged MGP bourbons tend to do for me. Mouthfeel is soft and buttery, which is exactly what is needed to propel the flavor profile. I think the age of the bourbons in the blend really made the difference here, as there is not a rough edge to be found. An enjoyable smooth 100 proof sipper with no discernible flaws. At the $68 I paid, I have zero regrets and can easily justify a rebuy.

Powerful. Basic bourbon notes of vanilla and oak, but man this thing has some force behind it. Pretty descent.

I’m really puzzled, and not a little disappointed. My bottle doesn’t taste anything like Stephanie Moreno’s tasting notes, or like most of the other bourbon fans’ descriptions. I think the problem may be that it’s over-aged, considering that the label states that the whiskies in the blend were distilled between 2005-2008, and that I prefer richer bourbons aged more in the 8-10 year range. Maybe this says more about my taste preferences than about the whiskey, but I sure wish that I’d spent that $100 on a little younger bourbon instead. Here are my notes: Nose: very faint nutmeg and a touch of oak, but pretty much drowned out by a moderate ethanol punch. Palate: hot entry, light-to-medium viscosity but silky due to low tannins, and very dry. Flavors are pretty closed. Not much fruit. Some dry wood, but not sweet oak vanilla. Added about 10% water and waited 10-15 minutes for more development and for some of the alcohol to blow off: only a little less heat. The nose opened up with notes of leather and some sourness, but palate showed there was not much change in the muted flavors. In a word, insipid.

This is so damn smooth

Warm, sweet, oak

Really exceptional bourbon. The nose is toffee, vanilla, oak. The palate follows suit, but the finish surprises with dark chocolate-covered strawberry and spice that lingers. Despite there being some quite old bourbons in this blend, the oak isn't as prominent as Russell's 13 from earlier this year. Deep and complex - I think there's a lot to pick out here if you take some time with it, but it's also straight-forwardly good and super easy to drink. Could stand to have a bit higher proof maybe.