Smoke Wagon Private Barrel Bourbon

Taste: Sampled 2 oz. neat, then added 3 drops of water in a glen cairn glass. This is Binny's Barrel #308, aged 8 years at 62.85% Nose: An absolutely spectacular aroma. Notes of caramel, brown sugar, oak, and cinnamon. It's very pronounced from the glass. Palate: The texture is oily and rich. On entry, it reminded me of a comforting sip. The flavors include browned butter, nougat, and a tingly baking spice. This bourbon isn't for the timid. It challenges you in a rustic manner with traditional caramel notes and spicier rye characteristics. The added water reduces the spice and enhances some oak notes. Enjoy it however you prefer, but this bourbon is bold, assertive, and ready to deliver. Finish: If there's a weakness, it's the finish, which is somewhat drying. It's direct and in your face. The spice is prominent, but there's a butterscotch note at the end that makes me want to explore it further. Overall: It's hard to find fault with a good cask strength MGP product. Its flaw might actually be its greatest asset – it's not overly complex but rather focuses on traditional caramel and cinnamon. It will challenge newcomers with its intensity. Compared to the uncut, unfiltered version, this had a better texture and richness, but it falls within the same flavor profile – not drastically different. Consider it the pinnacle of uncut/unfiltered. Where it falls short is that the same whiskey aged longer in a more variable climate (Illinois), like the Old Fangled Knotter Bourbon 9 year, is more refined. Perhaps the Galena climate smoothed out some rougher edges, or the extra year mellowed OFKB slightly. Side-by-side, the 9-year OFKB is simply more sophisticated and polished. That said, from the cowboy-themed bottle with crossed guns to the robust and rugged finish, Smoke Wagon doesn't pretend to be sophisticated, and proudly so. It's rough, ready, in your face, and delivers as intended. I embrace that wholeheartedly and will definitely seek out more private, and perhaps older, barrels. As a famous distiller once said about a certain bourbon, "I don't taste all the notes you all find in our bourbon, but I know good bourbon from bad bourbon." He then took a sip and proudly declared, "Ahhh! Now that's good bourbon!" Much like him, I feel the same way about Smokewagon.

BOTTLED FOR // Spec’s AGE // 7 yrs WAREHOUSE // WF6 BARREL # // 39-56 ALC/VOL % // 61.43% NEAT NOSE - Brown Sugar, Caramel, Maple, Oak, Cherry Sweetness PALATE - A powerful surge of tastes hits the palate. The brown sugar and maple are immediately apparent and unmistakable. The cherry sweetness emerges in the middle with oak steeped in caramel on the finish. Rich and stunning. FINISH - Lingering BUY? - This is superior to the batched Uncut and Unfiltered I have, but resembles the initial, better uncut and unfiltered batch I experienced at a restaurant. This suggests potential variability between batches, with single barrels performing better, though more sampling is needed for a firm opinion. Nevertheless, at approximately $80, it's a solid purchase. BUY AGAIN? - Definitely. I hope to encounter more barrels of this caliber. I hope to keep encountering barrels as good as this one.

Selected by Uncorked, "Gallenstein Selection #1" Barrel No. 39-193 Warehouse WF5 Age - 7 years 57.83% abv; 115.66 proof Opened 1 month ago Aroma - Peanut brittle, toasted marshmallow, sweet cinnamon, baked apples, white peach, nutmeg, white pepper, medium oak, and moderate ethanol. Palate - Honey-roasted peanuts, caramel, milk chocolate, cinnamon bun, freshly cracked peppercorns, and sweet baking spices. The finish is medium-long with bitter oak tannins, dry cinnamon, peanut shells, cocoa powder, cherry, and moderate ethanol. This is delicious. The only reason I'm deducting half a point is the price and the finish. Everything leading up to the finish is 5 stars; it's just a bit more bitter and dry than I anticipated. Otherwise, this selection is a huge success. I previously thought Smoke Wagon UCUF was one of the best available from MGP, and this definitely surpasses it. I know it's expensive, but if you find it for under $90, I'd recommend buying it.

Drunk neat. A specific selection from Prav Saraff, Hot Box. The initial aroma is rich with oak and baking spices, reminiscent of a slightly overdone pie crust, followed by waves of vanilla and cinnamon, with a subtle hint of apples. A very pleasant, comforting aroma. It feels thick on the palate, with the apple and sugar hitting first. The apple's tartness gives way to ethanol and a burning sensation on the tongue. The finish consists of apple, vanilla, and cinnamon, with the apple's tartness remaining on the palate. This barrel certainly has unique characteristics due to that apple note, which I don't detect in the Smoke Wagon Desert Jewel at all. There's an unexpected harshness for a 12-year spirit. It impacts the tongue, and then you experience it again on the finish. If a few months on the shelf smooths out the rough edges, I might increase my rating slightly. I would rank many MGP products ahead of this particular barrel.

The aroma offers damp rickhouse notes, cocoa powder, toasted marshmallows, Graham cracker, caramel corn, red apple, and rose petals. On the palate, a buttery texture emerges with milk chocolate, red apple, and a superb harmony of sweet oak and subtle spice. The finish begins with a sizzle of oak spice, leaving the tongue and palate tingling, reminiscent of Red Hot or Hot Tamale candy, followed by a heavy cream aftertaste alongside tobacco leaf and dried apple. Overall, a truly pleasing drink. The buttery/creamy mouthfeel and excellent balance of sweet and spicy elements are delightful. Curiously, the creamy sweetness and cinnamon notes evoke horchata or eggnog, which is quite fun. 86/100

A mash bill of 39% rye, bottled at 60.03% ABV, aged 6 years and 10 months. The aroma presents hazelnut, rum, and peppery vanilla, with a faint savory mushroom undertone and a non-fruity sweetness that might hint at apricot, alongside oat notes. The palate delivers a significant honey-rum sweetness; the honey is prominent, with a delicate honeysuckle floral note, supported by a deeper nutty caramel flavor. The finish is superb, with the honey sweetness lingering and a pleasant warmth that builds. It has a fairly long finish. Score: 8.3