Zachary-Robbins
Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon 100 Proof
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
September 18, 2020 (edited October 28, 2021)
50 mL airplane bottle for $1.95 at NC ABC
Nose - Spicy corn and freshly cut grass, honey and butterscotch, noticeable ethanol, light oak and light spice
Palate - Surprisingly light on the tongue after the strong ethanol note, honey vanilla sweetness, barely ripe cherries, corn dust and grains, fresh bread. The finish is medium, which is long for a $20 bourbon. It is oily, coating the tongue with strong notes of oak, nuts, and grains.
I wasn't a fan of David Nicholson so I've been avoiding other cheap Luxco products, but this is a winner at this price. As far as cheap wheated bourbons are concerned, this is miles better than Larceny. It is probably as good as Maker's but much grainier, while Maker's has that dominant sweet cherry cordial flavor. After tasting this I'm honestly perplexed why Larceny is considered a great value wheated bourbon, I think Maker's Mark and Rebel Yell are superior by a wide margin. I guess my taste buds are off.
19.95
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per
Bottle
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@Patrick-Howell-Jr Same mashbill, but I don't know if they're using the same barrels. I like Rebel much more than regular Larceny.
I wonder if RY100 is a watered down Larceny Barrel Proof. Who knows.
@BDanner Yup it'd be cool to see a 10y or 12y in their lineup.
The RY100 is, without a doubt, one of my go to sub $20 bottles. The extra proof does so much for it. It barely resembles its 80 proof version. I don’t know what Luxco is doing to it that HH is not, but it leaves Larceny in the dust for me. No contest. I’ve got my eyes peeled for the Maker’s 101. IMHO, that is what MM should be concentrating on. Different versions of their standard mashbill. Let’s see some Single Barrel releases, maybe an Age Stated version to go with this and the Cask Strength. Enough playing around with a thousand stave combinations that are often just hit or miss.
@Guitar_mann I got MM101 last week, it's pretty darn good so far and maybe an improvement on the cask strength. But this Maker's 46 cask strength is still reigning supreme for me.
@WhiskeyLonghorn Yup that's my order except Weller, which I've never had lol. I would like to try Wilderness Trail but not sure when I'll see it. Rabbit Hole is being released all over NC so I'd like to try their wheated, but their whiskey is a completely different price range from these sub $30 wheateds.
@Zachary-Robbins. I personally don't think your taste buds are off. I don't care much for RY or Larceny. However, when I tried RY100, I was very impressed. $16.95 on sale in NC or 19.95 reg is ridiculous for what it offers. I love Weller 107, but it's a unicorn around here. Regular Maker's is a bit soft and subtle for my tastes. I have always loved Maker's 46 for the same price as OWA 107 and the extra flovors it offers. Now, Maker's has released a 101 version of reg Maker's as a limited release. I picked up a bottle last night in the NC Triad area. $42 for a 750ml bottle otherwise only available at the distillery or duty free internationaly. Thank You Maker's for more wheater options at a higher proof! We are the winners! Cheers.
I don’t know if your taste buds are off. I find that folks’ preference for wheaters is always different. For whatever it’s worth, mine is: 1. Weller 2. Makers 3. Rebel Yell 4. Larceny And all their various sundry line extensions. Now, with that, I’ve been hearing some good chatter about Wilderness Trail and I’m looking forward to picking up a bottle when there’s some room in my cabinet!