Four Roses Experimental Series, Experiment 001, Mizunara Cask Finish

I’d like to thank Four Roses and their PR Team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Four Roses Experimental Series Experiment No. 001 Mizunara Cask Finish bourbon sits on a wooden deck railing against a softly blurred green background.

Hello again folks! I sincerely hope you are ready for more Four Roses talk, because that’s what we are engaging in again tonight.

I’m on record as loving when companies experiment with their products. The very first review on the site was an experimental release from my friends over at MB Roland. The experience of tasting something super interesting, that may or may not be ready for prime time, is one of the reasons that I was big into the Craft Whiskey scene there for a long time. I’ve since gotten old and cranky, but I still enjoy seeing bourbon folks experiment now and then. And when it is coming from one of the few brands that I can honestly fanboy out over? That’s even cooler.

Tonight’s whiskey is the first in a series of experimental releases from Four Roses. And interestingly enough, it is one that embraces the Japanese ownership that Four Roses had until the recent acquisition by Gallo. Mizunara is a Japanese oak that is most well known in the whiskey world as being a wood used in the aging of some Scotch and Japanese whiskies. Even though the wood is notoriously hard to cooper (high water content leading to multiple years of drying before being made into barrels, poor water tightness once made into barrels, etc.), the flavor it provides seems to be enough for folks to keep working with it.

Here’s what Four Roses has to say about the choice:

The inaugural release, Experimental Series No. 001, is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in rare Japanese Mizunara oak barrels. Prized in the whiskey world for its rarity and uniquely expressive flavor contribution, Mizunara oak was selected based first and foremost on flavor exploration. Throughout the finishing process, the Four Roses team monitored the barrels closely, pulling samples almost weekly to track maturation and determine the ideal balance point for each barrel individually before blending the final liquid.

Experimental Series No. 001 was developed through extensive trials across recipes, yeast strains, barrel specifications, and toast and char combinations to identify the ideal pairing for Mizunara oak’s distinctive flavor profile. Ultimately, [Master Distiller Brent] Elliott selected a six-year-old OBSK recipe for its ability to complement the oak’s layered spice characteristics while allowing its sweeter and more nuanced notes to shine through.

Let’s see how this experiment tastes.

Four Roses Experimental Series, Experiment 001, Mizunara Cask Finish

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $55 for a 375 mL bottle. It was available at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Center beginning July 30.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.33

Details: 6-year-old OBSK bourbon finished in Mizunara casks. 52% ABV.

Nose: Floral vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and an herbal, almost umami spice.

Mouth: Lots of spice notes right off the bat. Think cinnamon, allspice, sandalwood, and that same herbal spice from the nose. Other notes include floral vanilla, brown sugar, and almond.

Finish: Spicy, warm, and long with lingering notes of herbal spice, sandalwood, and almond.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face that denotes I like the product.

Thoughts: If you like bourbons with tons of baking spice, this is one for you. It really is delicious. It takes the spiciness of a K yeast bourbon and layers the sandalwood and herbal spice notes of the Mizunara cask over it. Plus you get the underlying bourbon notes of vanilla and caramel/brown sugar as well. This is pretty damn good. I like it. This is one to take a good look at if you get the opportunity.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Four Roses Anthology Series, Chapter One: Origins

I’d like to thank Four Roses and their PR Team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A sample bottle of Four Roses Anthology Origin Chapter 01, a 21-year-old bourbon, sits on a wooden deck railing against a softly blurred green background.

Bonus Post time! And this time we are looking at one from Four Roses that, for the first time ever, I don’t think is for you and me. Which, coming from a long-time Four Roses fanboy, hurts to say. If you are here, you are looking for the opinion of a frugal bourbon drinker. And there is no $500 release that would be appropriate for a frugal person. Hell, I don’t think there is a bourbon that, in a vacuum, is worth $150. Arguably, at least not until you take scarcity into the equation. But reasonable people can disagree on pricing and value.

Chapter One: Origins is the first in a planned lineup of 10 annual releases that, according to the press release, are aimed at “collectors and enthusiasts.” This version is a series of OBSF single-barrel bottlings that are aged 21 years and bottled at cask strength between 102.5 and 124.9 proof. There were 1,200 bottles available initially.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Four Roses Anthology 21 year

Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $500 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $33.33

Details: OBSF, 51.3% ABV, 21 years old

Nose: Almond, caramel, vanilla, red fruit, wintergreen, and oak.

Mouth: First sip is hot and full of oak. Subsequent sips bring out more depth of flavor with notes of chocolate, cinnamon, red fruit, caramel, almond, and oak.

Finish: Warm and medium length. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, nutty chocolate, cinnamon, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face that denotes I like the product.

Thoughts: As might be guessed by a 21-year age statement, this is extremely oak-forward. Both oak as a note in and of itself, but also oak-derived notes like chocolate. It's very rich and thick in the mouth. There are lovely bright notes that help balance the oaky notes as well. This is a good bourbon. My only issue with it is that after that long in the barrel, it has lost a lot of its inherent "Four-Roses-ness." If handed it blind, I probably wouldn't have guessed Four Roses as the distillery on the first couple of tries. Add to that the fact that my personal preferences are for bourbons in the six- to ten-year age range (where the mash bill- and yeast-derived flavors haven't yet been overpowered by the barrel), and personally, I’d grab one of the F yeast Red Labels over this one. But that is just my personal preference.

If you are a fan of oak-forward bourbons, though, this would have been worth a look…if it weren’t so extremely limited, presumably sold out, and, of course, if the suggested retail price wasn’t 500 dollars! In a vacuum, I like it, even if I like others of their products more. As something I’d pay my own personal money for? I’d politely scoff at anyone who suggested I do so. God bless the folks who have $500 to spend on a single bottle of bourbon, but I’m not one of them. I can get ten of the Red Labels, which I legitimately enjoy more, for that price. Yes, this is a good bourbon. No, being good doesn't make it worth five hundred bucks.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Yellowstone Limited Edition, 2026

I’d like to thank Limestone Branch Distillery and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A bottle of Yellowstone Limited Edition 2026 bourbon rests on a wooden deck railing, surrounded by sunlit green foliage.

You know that summer is coming to a close when the limited edition bourbons start to be released. I’m always torn about covering those because the tagline at the top of the page says that this information is for frugal bourbon drinkers. But as I often need to remind myself, frugal and cheap are two completely different things. A cheap person is unwilling to spend money, whereas, to me, a frugal one is wants to spend it wisely. It’s a matter of degree. So, a long time ago, I decided to cover them. Partly because I’d quickly run out of content if I didn’t. But mostly because if no one takes the cost into account when covering them, how will anyone know if a given product is worth that added cost?

Of course, none of this really has anything to do with tonight’s limited edition. One of the things I’ve liked best about the Yellowstone brand is that they seemingly cater to the frugal bourbon drinker. I mean, while their limited editions obviously also cost more than the standard releases, compared to their peers, they are downright reasonable at “only” $100. And yet, they are always some of the best bourbons that come across my desk in a given year.

This year’s release is a blend of seven-year-old and fourteen-year-old Kentucky straight bourbons. They were finished separately in ruby port and tawny port casks before being blended together. It is bottled at 101 proof and will be for sale starting this month at select stores nationwide.

So let’s see if this one continues the trend of being one of the best bangs for your buck in the “Limited Edition” realm of bourbons.

Yellowstone Limited Edition, 2026

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.60

Details: 50.5% ABV. A blend of 7- and 14-year-old bourbons, finished separately in ruby port and tawny port casks prior to blending.

Nose: Brown sugar, oak, and red fruit.

Mouth: Sweet in the mouth with notes of brown sugar, baking spice, red fruit, leather, and oak.

Finish: Medium in warmth and length. Notes of caramel, cinnamon, leather, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denoting that I quite like this product.

Thoughts: As always, this is a delicious release. Honestly, it’s usually somewhere in the Top 5 of annual releases for me. This year seems to be no exception. This is delicious. I like how subtle the port influence is. Just some red fruit notes that help accentuate the caramel and oak notes of the bourbon. It's sweet, complex, and has a great mouthfeel and finish. I really like this one. And while it isn’t cheap, it is suitable for those of us who are frugal and can afford the splurge.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Straight Rye

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a Penelope Straight Rye Whiskey bottle standing on a weathered wooden deck railing, with the gold logo and green label prominently displayed against a softly blurred backyard background on a sunny day.

Well, I told you last time that there was another bottle stuck in with the Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon that we were going to be talking about this week, and I am a man of my word. Tonight we are looking at the other member of the Penelope Classic Series: Penelope Straight Rye.

This rye is distilled in Indiana from a mash bill of 93% rye and 7% malted barley. I know, that subtle change from the 95%-5% rye that MGP is famous for had me wondering if there was a typo in the press release too. But the website backs it up. Unless, of course, they are both wrong. But at that point there isn’t much we can do about it. So we take their word at face value and move on. The whiskey is bottled at 92 proof and is available in select markets starting in June, with a nationwide rollout to follow. The suggested retail price is $34.99.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Penelope Straight Rye

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $34.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.33

Details: 46% ABV. Mash bill: 93% rye, 7% malted barley.

Nose: Caramel, spearmint, cedar, and baking spice.

Mouth: Nice mouthfeel with notes of cinnamon, spearmint, and cedar.

Finish: Warm, sweet, and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of floral honey, cinnamon, and cedar.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denotes that I like this product.

Thoughts: This is a fantastic rye. The flavor profile reminds me a lot of a good Canadian Club release, where the spicy rye flavors are balanced with sweet and floral notes. The mouthfeel is amazing, especially for a product with no corn in the mash. We tried neat on more than one occasion and in both a Manhattan and a Sazerac. All were delicious and it worked very well in both cocktails. And the price is downright reasonable. I really like this one!

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I’d like to thank the folks at Ross & Squibb and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Close-up of a Penelope Straight Bourbon bottle on a rain-soaked wooden deck railing, with the gold logo and blue label prominently displayed against a softly blurred rainy background.

3.8 inches! That’s how much rain we’ve gotten in the past 12 hours here in the Twin Cities metro area. And unless it happened overnight, it wasn’t like it was a catastrophic downpour. Just a lot of steady, heavy rain. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Needless to say, I am stuck inside today. Which is why you are getting this bonus post today.

Today we are looking at a new release from Penelope Bourbon. Most of the things we’ve looked at from Penelope are interesting blends of mash bills, interesting barrel finishes, or, on occasion, a ready-to-drink cocktail. However, we’ve never looked at a Kentucky straight bourbon from them. And mostly that’s because they haven’t actually offered one until now. Being part of the MGP family, most of their whiskey uses the juice distilled right there in Indiana. So this is the first time they’ve worked with Kentucky distillate "at scale," as they say in the press release.

The bourbon was created from a mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. It is bottled at 92 proof. The suggested retail price is $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle. It is available now in select markets but will be available nationwide later.

Let’s see how it tastes.

Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $44.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.00

Details: 46% ABV. Mash bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley.

Nose: Vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, oak, almond, vanilla, caramel, and red fruit.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Notes of almond, allspice, bubblegum, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denoting that I like the product.

Thoughts: Due to a miscommunication between my wife and me, we have been enjoying the heck out of this since we accidentally got a bottle a month or more ago. Yep, it got stuck in with the bottle of the Blackberry Old Fashioned that we reviewed back in early June and wasn’t intended for me at that time at all (though neither was the Blackberry Old Fashioned, so I lucked out twice). Instead, I received a lovely package a bit later containing a second bottle (the one in the photo above) and another bottle that we will be reviewing next week.

But back to the bourbon we are actually talking about. It’s just a great “every day" bourbon. Very pleasant, reasonably priced, nothing fancy (in the best way possible), and an enjoyable sip. Not so fancy that you need to devote your attention to it instead of the people around you, but good enough that you will enjoy the heck out of it. I really like it. If you are looking for just a solid bourbon to have on hand, you could do much worse than Penelope Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Wolfe & Wilson Colonial Rye Whiskey

I’d like to thank Stoll & Wolfe and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: A sample bottle of Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye, based on a historical recipe. It has a label that says S&W (for Stoll & Wolfe distillery) Colonial Rye. 2 yrs. 100 proof. The bottle sits on a wooden rail with blurred trees in the background.

It isn’t often that I get offered the opportunity to taste a product quite like this one. Wolfe & Wilson Colonial Rye Whiskey is a rye created from a historical recipe and using some unusual historical methods. Created as a collaboration between Erik Wolfe (of Stoll & Wolfe Distillery) and Alan Bishop (formerly of Spirits of French Lick), this whiskey was inspired by an early 19th Century work by Frederick Heinrich Gelwicks. I thought it was a neat story and I’m going to let them tell it since they went through all the trouble of writing it already:

Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Whiskey draws its inspiration from a pamphlet written by Frederick Heinrich Gelwicks, an important piece of early American distilling lore from the late 1700s to early 1800s, documenting actual working recipes used by Pennsylvania distillers during that era. A recipe from that publication resulted in a whiskey with a unique grain combination of rye malt, wheat, rye, and oats, fermented with wild yeast and cheese culture, and aged in new American oak barrels at 105 proof.

“Collaborating on translating a nearly 300 century old recipe is a unique opportunity to explore the roots of our local distilling traditions by bringing this whiskey to life and allowing modern consumers to experience a spirit nearly lost to history,” said Erik Wolfe.

Wolfe and Bishop, sharing a fundamental distilling philosophy and ethos that values flavor over efficiency and also honors traditional production methods balanced against modern concerns, began collaboration on this whiskey back in 2023. The challenge for them was how to adapt for today’s distilling world a recipe of 1 bushel rye malt, 1 bushel wheat, 1 bushel rye, and 3 pecks of oats.

Sourcing heritage grains from Pennsylvania family farms, including the Kline farm that’s tied to Stoll & Wolfe, the two set out on an epic undertaking to recreate something few in the modern era would even consider. A testament to their combined creativity and fine attention to historical details, the expression is designed to give today’s whiskey drinker a glance at what was being enjoyed at the birth of a nation.

“Bringing the knowledge brought to Indiana by early PA Germans back East to PA is one of the highlights of my career,” said Alan Bishop. “That we stuck to the ideals of the colonial distillers while implementing modern technological advantages speaks to just how well versed in the art of distillation our forefathers were. To do such great work alongside Erik and Aviana is a rare opportunity!”

Besides these nods to the past, other elements of historical consideration were factored in as well, such as the addition of dried fruits during the distillation process and aging in a colonial-era tobacco farm. The Wolfe & Wilson straight rye, given all of this, presents itself as an authentic representation of a bygone era with legitimate colonial ties, explicitly differentiating it from more generic 250th anniversary products.

Wolfe & Wilson Straight Rye Whiskey, Batch 1, was aged a minimum of two years in new charred American oak before being bottled at 100 proof. The product name Wolfe & Wilson carries layered personal and historical significance, as “Wolfe” represents Erik’s surname (Wolfe), while “Wilson” is Alan’s mother’s maiden name.

1000 bottles of this were made available on July 4, 2026 at the Stoll & Wolfe tasting room and online at shop.stollandwolfe.com. The suggested retail price is $80 for a 750 mL bottle. So how does this Rye/Wheat/Oat whiskey with dried fruit added during distillation taste? Let’s find out, shall we?

Wolfe & Wilson Colonial Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $80 for a 750 mL bottle at the Stoll & Wolfe Distillery tasting room.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 50% ABV. 2 years old

Nose: Floral with toffee, dried fruit, baking spices, and a touch of oak.

Mouth: Toffee, stewed fruit, baking spices, and caramel.

Finish: Warm and long with notes of cinnamon, caramel, fruit, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn mmiley face that denotes I like the product.

Thoughts: We like things for all sorts of reasons. In this case, I am enjoying this as a historical oddity. That said I wouldn't want it all the time. It is sweet, spicy, fruity, and floral, all things I like. It just hits a bit strangely to me. Probably as a result of the unusual mash bill and processes that went into creating it. This is one to spend time with as there is a lot going on. So though I like it, I won’t be buying myself a bottle. Leaves one more chance at it for all of you.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Village Bourbon and Village Bonfire

I’d like to thank Village Garage Distillery for sending these samples with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Two bottles of Village Garage Distillery spirits—Village Bourbon and Village Bonfire—standing side by side on a weathered wooden deck railing, with lush green trees softly blurred in the background on a sunny summer day.

Sometimes, the simplest things are the best. For example, right now I am reveling in the opportunity to just sit. It’s a wonderful feeling after spending the last couple of days moving large rocks and mulch from one part of my yard to the other. The good news is that I can finally look outside and not dread the work that still needs to be done. The bad news is that my back will probably remind me of every one of those rocks and every shovelful of mulch for the next few days. But sitting? That’s the thing I’m enjoying right now.

And I don’t know about you, but the "cocktail" I enjoy most is also the simplest. It’s a special thing I like to call Bourbon in a Glass. I know, I’m a wiz at naming things. And tonight I get to look at a bourbon that is very new to me, along with a flavored bourbon made from that bourbon. The folks at Village Garage Distillery in Vermont reached out to me in May and asked if I would be interested in looking at their bourbon. Being the type of person who doesn’t live anywhere near Vermont, I said yes.

So, let’s dig into the bourbon first, as that is the basis for the flavored bourbon. The bourbon comes with a very simple mash bill: 60% corn and 40% malted rye. Two ingredients. Doesn’t get much simpler than that. And since there isn’t an age statement on this, we can assume that it is at least four years old, though it could be older. Bottled at 90 proof, it is available on their website for $49.99.

Ok, now that we have the bourbon out of the way, let’s turn our attention to Village Bonfire. This takes the bourbon above and blends it with smoked maple syrup. Village Bonfire is also bottled at 90 proof. Now, I’m going to show my biases here. I love maple syrup. I can’t say the same for whiskeys with smoke as part of the flavor profile. So I am going to be as fair as I can and tell you how I feel, but also let you know how I think you and others may like it, which in this case will be quite different.

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Village Bourbon

Purchase Info: This was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. It is available at their website for $49.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (mL): $3.33

Details: 45% ABV. Mash bill: 60% corn, 40% malted rye (according to an email exchange with their Associate Distiller, the label just says rye).

Nose: My initial nosing note was Cherry Coke, so it's not too surprising that it broke down into the constituent notes of cherry and cola, along with cedar and floral vanilla.

Mouth: Gentle at first, with a spice that hits within moments. Earthy and corn-forward with notes of dried grain, cinnamon, leather, and a touch of fruit and barrel char underneath.

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. Lingering notes of cherry, cola, cinnamon, dried corn, and a little bit of earthiness/smoke.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn Smiley face denoting that I like this product.

Thoughts: I'm giving this one a "like" rating. I'd drink way too much of it around a campfire if you brought it along, but I probably wouldn't buy it for my shelf, as I'm not the biggest fan of tasting the corn itself in a bourbon. I prefer corn to be there for mouthfeel and sweetness, not flavor. But this feels like it was made for a night of rustic camping under the stars while gathered around a fire that is starting to burn low. You know that time of night when the voices start to get quieter and you are only putting one piece of wood on at a time, just so there isn't as much to put out when you finally retire to your sleeping bag. That is what this bourbon brings to mind. It's not my preferred bourbon flavor profile, but I could see myself really enjoying it in the right setting.

Village Bonfire

Purchase Info: This was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. It is available at their website for $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (mL): $2.66

Details: Village Bourbon with Vermont smoked maple syrup. 45% ABV.

Nose: There is a medicinal, almost Band-Aid-like note at first from the smoke. Under that are cherry, vanilla, maple, and brown sugar.

Mouth: The same smoke-derived medicinal note appears on the palate, but so do notes of cherry, maple, vanilla, baking spice, wintergreen, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of maple, cherry, vanilla, baking spice, oak, the smoke-derived medicinal/Band-Aid note, and wintergreen.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn neutral face denoting that I this product is not for me, but that others will probably love it..

Thoughts: First, my biases. I have never found a smoky whiskey that I've liked. I am extremely sensitive to smoke in my drinks. Peated Scotch makes me want to gag. I just don’t care for the Band-Aid, candle wax, and similar notes that peat smoke brings to a peated Scotch. I also don't care for most wood-smoke flavors in bourbon. So, that said, this has smoke notes that split the difference between peat smoke and wood smoke for me. As you can guess, those notes severely detract from the flavor for me.

That said, this is a very well-crafted flavored bourbon. The mouthfeel is thick and rich. The flavors are complex. It isn't nearly as sweet as you might expect from a bourbon with maple syrup in it. If it didn't have that smoke note—or if I were someone who enjoyed both smoky bourbon and peated Scotch—this would be getting a "love" rating. However, as it is, I have to give it a neutral rating because, while I don't care for it, I think a lot of folks without my personal smoke sensitivity will really enjoy this one. Seriously, if you enjoy smoke notes, this is one to check out.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.