RD One Bourbon Double Finished in Oak and Maple Barrels

Arriving at the vacation spot, I decided to sample new bottles acquired on the journey. I'd visited this distillery not long ago but only saw expensive WM. Tarr items. Seeing RD One bottles locally prompted me to seek more information, and since it was en route, I stopped by. I tasted all the RD One offerings and learned this specific finished bottle uses a lengthy string of maple-sap-soaked French oak "chips," lightly toasted, inserted into the barrel for a couple of months. This is the first time I've seen finishing without barrel transference, unlike some places that put wood pieces in the bottle itself, with an unknown finishing duration. Still, it's a novel and effective method to add finishing flavors without overwhelming the base spirit or disrupting the barrel's integrity. The color suggests a spirit aged over 8 years, a deep chestnut with amber honey edges. This is impressive given its actual age is less than half that, indicating the color comes from the maple sap and/or finishing wood. The aroma presents an intense but pleasing ethanol alongside prominent maple, balanced by classic sweet corn and spicy rye notes from the base spirit, preventing it from being overly sweet. Hints of toast, lemon zest, and floral notes, likely from the French oak, are also present, with recurring scents stimulating a craving for maple. The initial sip is quite warm, with the high corn content (over 70%, I believe) providing inherent sweetness, while the modest rye adds a sharp spice to the front and sides of the palate. Soft toast, citrus, and floral notes from the French oak dominate the mid-palate, amplified by the ethanol, making them bold rather than subtle. The maple is noticeable but serves to enhance the natural taste without adding sweetness or body. The finish is dry and hot, but after a moment, the maple and mild French oak harmonize into a well-rounded flavor, even with the lingering heat. This bottle exemplifies excellent barrel finishing. The added flavors enhance the base spirit sufficiently to justify a separate product without masking its original character. Due to the high proof making all notes pronounced, it's ideal for cocktails and justifies its price to highlight the distinction between this maple barrel finish and simply adding syrup to a base spirit. The distillery itself is highly recommended; the customer service was exceptionally friendly, and inquiries were answered truthfully, a rare quality nowadays. For instance, they admitted the "double barrel finished" claim was a marketing ploy, as no actual barrel transfer occurred. The only difference from the French oak version is the wood chips were soaked in maple sap for this one, not truly a "double" finish. The 52-gallon barrels are appreciated, allowing the wood "snake" more room to move compared to smaller barrels. Given their straightforward approach and craft, this distillery shows great promise for the future, especially if they continue producing honest, delicious spirits like this, focusing on quality over accolades.

A rich, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged for a minimum of 4 years in American white oak barrels and finished with a combination of new French oak staves and ones that are washed with maple syrup before being bottled at 49.95% ABV. It has an aromatic birth with notes of grains, wood, nuts, herbs, and spices; while a rich life adds notes of sweet corn, maple syrup, and butterscotch; that led to a long and rich death with notes of toasted oak, brown sugar, and black pepper.

I was a bit disappointed after the first sip. But then you get a real rich, creamy butterscotch and maple syrup taste that lingers really nicely. It takes a few seconds to hit, but it’s good and not an overwhelming maple note like some maple finishes have. Just a hint of that pepper (like peppercorn pepper, not hot pepper) along with the butterscotch/maple. I'm a big fan. Could have been 4.5 stars at a $30-40 range, but I dropped it to 3.75 at $60.

It's not exceptionally sweet by any measure. Hotcakes are immediately apparent on the nose, along with butterscotch, oak, and a faint green element. The palate has a noticeable burn. Maple is present but not overwhelming, complemented by caramel, fudge, and more spice than a dark chocolate note at the finish, alongside oak.

RD One Oak and Maple Double Finish presents a light golden color with sweet hints of toffee and maple donut. The initial taste includes notes of Cuban tobacco, maple syrup, and cinnamon. The texture is slightly syrupy, similar to cola, and the finish lingers with a generous amount of sweetened tannins.

I've never been fond of flavored whiskeys, but this tastes like maple syrup without the sticky residue. Wink wink, know what I mean? I bet she does. And I'm not even trying to sell anything.