Ragged Branch Wheated Bourbon

I'm evaluating both the Signature and the Wheated Bourbon together, as neither stands out enough for an individual review. *Nose: Young and artificial. Smells of dried corn, sawdust, and barnyard, with black pepper. The Wheated version does add some brown sugar. It's not an appealing combination. *Neat: Very sweet on the initial taste, but unfortunately, it must travel across the rest of your tongue before you can drink it. Still very youthful, with notes of dried corn, creamed corn, bitter sawdust oak, and an overall unpleasant off-note of stale or fermented sweet tea, strained through wet cardboard. That's the lingering aftertaste. Similar to the nose, the Wheated adds some brown sugar sweetness, but not nearly enough to overcome that unpleasant aftertaste on the back of the palate. *With Water: Makes no difference. Neither version is salvageable. *Conclusion: I bought a 50ml sample of each while visiting a Virginia ABC store during my travels. I poured most of both 50ml samples down the drain, apologizing to the sink for subjecting it to nearly 100ml of this spirit.

Smell: Strong corn presence, light citrus, moderate oak, a whisper of spearmint, moss, and some spice. A touch of dust appears with a bit of water. Taste: Herbal burn! This 90 proof is intense! Overwhelms with alcohol. A long, syrupy herbal finish. It evokes absinthe somewhat, perhaps due to faint licorice undertones in the herbal notes.

Received a sample bottle. The aroma suggests new oak, hay, and grain. The taste is predominantly new oak, followed by an herbal tea or iced tea-like flavor. The spirit feels thin, yet the herbal tea taste persists long after. It's drinkable, but I'm glad I don't own a full bottle. It's not really my preference, pun intended.

Nose: apples, bananas, alcohol. Palate: light spice, caramel, and oak. Finish: short and sweet. I believe this is smoother than their standard straight bourbon but less flavorful. It's not bad, just not very complex.

While delicious, the flavor was intense when consumed neat. When mixed in an Old Fashioned, it easily cut through the bitters, syrup, and garnish. I would suggest this bottle to someone with a palate that appreciates.

Wood dust and vanilla dominate the initial taste. A touch of sweetness emerges in the middle but vanishes too quickly, leaving a sense of disappointment. A better option exists with a different brand.