Same Old Moses

Nose was deceptively great. Very young and tasted flavored, not aged. Will not try again.

Mighty fine. Oklahoma goodness

So unlike other distilleries that source MGP and rebrand it under their name, Same Old Moses decided to contract with a Texas distillery to produce a 4-grain bourbon made from Oklahoma ingredients and then age it for 4 years in Oklahoma. Seems like a bold strategy Cotton, let's see if it pays off for them. The nose starts with a mix of freshly varnished oak and flapjacks covered in maple syrup then chocolate covered espresso beans and roasted pecans followed by apple butter, sour cherry jelly and tart orange that transitions to cloves, ginger and charred whole wheat toast with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with a medium sour and ashy spice that slowly fades to a dark chocolate mocha and cinnamon rolls then candied pecans followed by sour apple candy, maraschino cherries and tangerine orange that transitions to cloves, ginger and over-brewed black tea with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild ashy spice, dark chocolate mocha, sautéed apples, Angel food cake and pipe tobacco. Once I opened the sample and poured it into my glass this immediately strikes me with the Balcones DNA with an inviting mix of freshly varnished wood, rich syrup, coffee and sour fruits that carries over to the taste but seems to veer towards an overly oaked profile that seems to affect a lot of Texas whiskies before finishing with baked sweets, coffee and a mild ash. I tend to be more sensitive to extra oaky profiles than others and this would likely be a really enjoyable whiskey for those less sensitive that try it. Thanks so much @soonershrink for sharing this one with me.

Another sample from SoonerS this is from his home state. Gotta say I really like this with plenty of maple on the nose, dusty cornbread with gentle oak. Palate is maple flavored oatmeal and caramel with some baking spice. Nice and rich with a clean finish of sweet fading barrel. Hints of leather and some hay throughout. This really reminds me of Balcones Pot Still Bourbon so I looked it up and that is a 4 grain mash as well. Coincidence? Perhaps but this is contract distilled in Texas(with OK ingredients) so maybe Balcones is the partner. Then they age it longer and re-barrel. No matter, if I saw this in Texas for a decent price I would grab it its tasty bourbon....85/100

Whiskey night tasting with friends. Very small sample, tasted blind. This was the crowd favorite among a group that leans toward more novice whiskey drinkers. It was a puzzle to me. I thought it was a rye, then thought it might be a rum. Quite sweet, which must come from the double-barreling. Obviously didn't come across like a bourbon to me from the small taste. It's a four-grain bourbon said to be distilled in Texas (not sure exactly where) and barreled and aged in Oklahoma. I had been skeptical of this one and hadn't anticipated being a buyer, but the small taste got me curious, so I may have to buy one to explore it some more. Edit: spending some more time with this one with a proper-sized sample. The nose is full of cedar box, some caramel. The palate has some nice sweetness, somewhat thinner. The woody cedar note shows up on the finish. There’s some rye spice in there and a kind of molasses note, which is what I was probably mistaking for rum. It’s a little funky, and more akin to a Texas bourbon, which makes sense since that’s where it was distilled, and the Oklahoma climate where it was aged is basically the same as north Texas. Interesting whiskey, I think it’s decent, although I don’t think you’re getting a great value at the price it sells for. If they could get this closer to 35, it’d be more compelling.

Sweetness and cherry on the nose. Just the right amount of spice with oak, Smokey, and continued char. Of the several that I’ve had from Oklahoma this is my favorite. This has a good complexity with the right linger. Ice cube pulls out a hint of leather on the finish. Good offering and would recommend it.