Dexter Three Wood Straight Bourbon

This could be a long shot to succeed, but my understanding is that this company, which seems to be a custom whiskey blender rather than a distillery, is located in Newtown, OH, and sources its young whiskey from MGP. The uncertainty lies in their wood finishing process, the details of which are not readily available. I suspect it might involve wood chips, whiskey, and a pressure cooker, or perhaps substituting their spirit through an espresso machine with oak fragments instead of coffee grounds. The label doesn't provide clarity on this. Regardless, this is NAS MGP whiskey that has undergone a distinct finishing process using 200-year-old oak, maple, and cherry woods. Although a tasting kit is available to sample these woods individually, this bottle is a blend of unspecified ratios. I was curious to discover the contribution of each wood element. The spirit presents a pleasing medium amber hue. The nose initially suggests young, high-corn, sweet notes alongside sawdust. There are traces of cola and cherry juice, with a prominent ethanol presence. Hints of rye spice are detectable, but not as strong as I anticipated from MGP. Disappointingly, there's no significant cedar, dill, tobacco, or ginger. With time, a bit more fruit, possibly apple, and tobacco emerge, but that's the extent of it. The aroma isn't particularly complex. It has a slightly syrupy texture with minimal burn, unlikely to offend anyone. The palate is quite agreeable, featuring more corn-forward sweetness, reminiscent of candy corn. There's more sawdust than distinct wood notes. Light caramel, green apple, and a faint trace of MGP dill are present. Perhaps a dash of cherry cough syrup can be detected. The finish is short, which is a letdown. You win some, you lose some. I regret not trying it at a bar first and saving myself $50-60. I didn't research sufficiently before purchasing. I imagine if this had been finished in actual barrels, even for a short period, the unique wood characteristics would be more apparent. Whatever method they employ, combined with cheap or young MGP, simply doesn't measure up. At best, this is a $25-30 bottle. The "95 point" sticker on the neck was likely for an unconventional category, where a high score wouldn't equate to a conventional whiskey. I'll likely attempt to blend this or give it away. It's not undrinkable, but unfortunately, I advise against purchasing it.

Tasted neat. This was a neck pour. I decided to try this today. It's 100 proof, finished high-rye MGP, and costs $50 from a company located not far from my home. Why not? On the nose, I was surprised by the absence of the typical MGP youthfulness. Young MGP can be off-putting to me due to excessive grass or heavy hay notes. I generally call it "too green" when it's less than 5 years old. Whatever finishing process they used here subdued those notes. Instead, I detect fried dough, like an elephant ear without the powdered sugar, coated in cherry cough syrup. Alongside the cherry, there's a layer of furniture varnish and vanilla extract. The MGP character eventually appears with honey and rye spice. If I have one criticism, it's that the cherry note has an artificial quality. On the palate, it's creamy enough for a nice coating. Cinnamon, powdered sugar, and cherry cough syrup are upfront. The young MGP high rye comes in mid-palate with a hint of that green note, honey, and fried dough. What distinguishes it from typical MGP is the sweetness and cherry on the finish. This is the sweetest MGP I've encountered among the younger MGP expressions I've tried. So far, I've had three sips tonight. I'm not sure why I'm so drawn to it. Upon closer examination, the artificial cherry note is the main drawback. Cherry cough syrup isn't usually a good flavor for me, but I appreciate it here. The 100 proof also contributes positively. I would choose this over a few 4-year-old MGP single barrels I own. I might even prefer it over Boone County Small Batch and possibly Smoke Wagon Straight (considering other MGP in this price range). I wouldn't call it exceptional, but it's a solid choice for when you want some MGP in a flask for a movie theater.

Don't put faith in award claims for bourbons. It's somewhat average. The nose is pleasant, with some fruit and oak present. Perhaps the award judges only smelled the glass? Oak is present throughout. There's heat at the end with even more oak, plus pepper and dark caramel. It's not really balanced, nor does it have anything particularly remarkable to mention. It might be best suited for use in a cocktail. The best thing I can say is that it's not the worst I've encountered.

The corn flavor seems a bit young initially, but it's followed by very balanced and mature rye spice. The finish is incredibly smooth, with maple and toasted staves contributing to a fairly complex pour, surpassing many bottles I've tried at much higher price points. While many in Kentucky joke that it isn't bourbon unless it's from KY, this is definitely a straight bourbon whiskey that might change your perspective, and the distillery deserves its recognition for this release.

The aroma is a delightful vanilla, with hints of baked apple crumble, maple sugar, and cherry cola. The flavors burst with honeycomb, caramel cream, and baking spices. It has a notably peppery and exciting sensation on the palate. The finish is of moderate length, concluding with a subtle note of cracked peppercorn. Overall, it's a very welcoming and accessible whiskey with a fine assortment of wood influences.

This is quite poor. I'm uncertain about any claimed awards; I wouldn't be shocked if it received a 'whiskey of the year' type of recognition.