Smoke Wagon Desert Jewel Reserve

This is a bottle I wasn't very familiar with initially but was intrigued by. Given its great reviews and attractive packaging, I felt compelled to seek it out. I found it comparable to a blend of EHT SiB and the recent Old Fitz 13 decanter. When tasted alongside Smoke Wagon small batch, Michter's 10 Bourbon 2019, and Barrell Bourbon 15, I rated this second best of the evening. It edged out the M10 (the higher proof was a factor) but fell short of the Barrell 15, which is one of my favorites.

Served neat. It has alternating dark and light notes. The dark notes include baking spices and a hint of oak, almost like slightly burnt sourdough. There's cracked pepper and cinnamon. A deep vanilla and a touch of berries tie it all together. It feels creamy on the tongue, with equal parts sugar and spice. Waves of vanilla come through on the finish, along with a hint of cherry and mint. It has nice legs. It's a solid MGP product, but not a great one. There's a sharp ethanol note on the finish that is overpowering and detracts from it.

Although I recognize this is unsweetened, it's hard to believe it's not pure syrup. A bourbon with a perfect sweet profile, complemented by a subtle hint of spice and char. Undoubtedly among the finest bottles I've possessed or had in my collection. It evokes notes of oaky, distilled maple syrup with a rye burn at the end.

The aroma is sweet honey. There's a lot of smoke with dried cherries. Oak. Very dry. The finish has sweet corn. I'm surprised by this 10-year-old; I genuinely liked it. From ReBar Las Vegas

The aroma is of sweet oak. The taste is very smooth, with notes of cherry, vanilla, and smoky oak. I'm really enjoying this drink.

It tastes very alcoholic; I couldn't detect anything else the first night.