Remus Gatsby Reserve, 2025

I’d like to thank Ross & Squibb Distillery and their PR partners for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Look at that photo above. Can you believe that was taken in mid-November in Minnesota? I mean, we have a reputation as one of the coldest places in the continental US. Our winters are feared in southern states. So much so that when it was 50 degrees and damp in Kentucky one fall, I was teased by friends who thought I would have been used to it. (Not likely in early September.) But no, we are still doing great. I finally had to dig out a light jacket to take a pup for a walk today, now that the temps are consistently under 50 degrees in the afternoon. With climate change, Minnesota winters just aren’t what they are reported to be.

Ignore this post of mine from 2019 entitled: “HOLY F**K! IT WAS COLD LAST WEEK!” where I froze bourbon solid by leaving it outside overnight. Yep, don’t even pay attention to that one. So now that the weather report is over, let’s move on to sports… er… the bourbon report. (Though seriously, if an adult from further south than Missouri has a star football player in their life who is afraid to play college football in Minnesota because of the weather, you should especially ignore that damn post above.)

Tonight we are taking a look at the latest special release in the George Remus line. This one is the 2025 edition of Remus Gatsby Reserve. We last looked at this one back in 2023, and I said of it: “This is as close to a heart rating as I can give based on the price. It is tasty enough to get a heart when judged without context… That said, if I were to put 5 ‘reallys’ in the statement ‘I really like this,’ it would sum up my feeling accurately.” So when they offered a sample to taste, I jumped on it. Here is what the producer had to say about it:

Released to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s legendary novel, “The Great Gatsby,” Remus Gatsby Reserve is bottled at 102.8 proof (51.4% ABV) and will be offered in ultra-limited quantities in October at a minimum suggested retail price of $199.99 per 750mL bottle.

“2025 marks the centennial of ‘The Great Gatsby,’ so we wanted to make this year’s expression of Remus Gatsby Reserve absolutely epic,” said Ross & Squibb Distillery Master Distiller Ian Stirsman. “We hand-selected our finest 15-year-old straight bourbon whiskey barrels from our reserves and expertly blended them to create a legendary pour. This year’s release showcases Remus Bourbon at its best.” 

Let’s dig in.

Remus Gatsby Reserve, 2025

Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $199.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $13.33

Details: 51.4% ABV. 15 years old.

Nose: Caramel, oak, cherry, and vanilla.

Mouth: Spicy with notes of oak, cinnamon, cherry, caramel, and vanilla.

Finish: Medium length and spicy with notes of cherry, vanilla, oak, and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is delicious. If I were willing to spend $200 on a single bottle, this would top the list. As it is, I will stand in front of it and debate whether I want to spend that much until my wife vetoes the purchase on principle. It really is just so good. It has a thick, rich mouthfeel, nice spice levels, and the cherry/vanilla notes are complemented beautifully by the oak and cinnamon. All in all, this is another fantastic bourbon from Ross & Squibb.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Revisited: Evan Williams Single Barrel

It has been two thousand nine hundred and eighty-three days since I last reviewed Evan Williams Single Barrel. That one was the 2009 vintage, reviewed back in 2017 — over eight years ago. It used to be a product I bought and reviewed without fail every year. Somewhere along the line, though, I had a string of forgettable ones and just… stopped. I forgot about it. Since then, the brand has lost its ten-year age statement but seems to hover around the seven-to-eight-year range, and the price has increased by about 150%.

I picked this guy up after cleaning out my closet and finding an old sample of the 2003 vintage that I’d put away years ago. That would have been purchased in 2013 or 2014. I thought it might be fun to compare the one from early in the site’s history to one from today since I had the rare opportunity to do so. So before we get into it, here’s what I had to say about Evan Williams Single Barrel (2009 vintage) the last time I reviewed it:

I like this one a lot. It's very tasty, especially for the price. I may have inadvertently taken a break from this product, but that will have to stop. Good solid bourbon at a good price is nothing to take for granted these days.

And now, since it’s pertinent to what we’ll be discussing later, here’s what I had to say about two separate bottles of the 2003 vintage back in 2014:

In my opinion, neither of these are as good as I remember previous releases to be. They both hit me with a sharpness I didn’t expect and that I found it hard to get past. Barrel 16, which I bought as a birthday present to myself was like drinking perfume. I just couldn’t get behind it. Barrel 642 from my friend DP was better. It was sweeter and had a nicer finish. All that said, if you handed me one without the other, they are similar enough that I wouldn’t know which you had handed me. And in my opinion, that’s not a good thing. I wanted to like these. I thought I would, but I don’t.

Ok, first let’s take a look at the current release, and then we’ll compare it to the sample that inspired this post.

Evan Williams Single Barrel, vintage 2016

Purchase Info: $33.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Burnsville, MN

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.27

Details: 8 years old. 43.3 % ABV.

Nose: Vanilla sugar, red fruits, and oak.

Mouth: Vanilla, caramel, baking spice, and dusty oak.

Finish: Medium length and medium warmth with notes of caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: This isn't a complicated bourbon, but it is delicious. I haven’t had it in a long time — years, in fact. But if I see it on a shelf, I may have to pick it up (though, to be fair, I said that back in 2017 too, so who knows). It’s got those stereotypical bourbon notes, so if you just want “bourbon,” this should fit the bill.

Comparison to Vintage 2003: Back in 2013/14, this was an age-stated 10-year-old bourbon. Today it varies, but our 2016 is about eight and a half years old. The 2003 is much more oak-forward, but not in a good way. The oak note is sharp and a little off-putting. It does have a nicer mouthfeel, though, being more syrupy in texture. In the mouth, 2003 has an odd fermented fruit note that I’m not fond of. Looking back, I was neutral on that one, leaning toward dislike, and I can see why. The 2016 is a much better bourbon. Or at least my bottle is.

Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale from New Belgium Brewing and Four Roses

I’d like to thank Four Roses, New Belgium Brewing, and their PR teams for providing this sample with no strings attached.

I may have adopted Minnesota as my home, but my formative years were spent in Wisconsin. Home of beer, cheese, and those who consume lots of both. And let me tell you, boy, did I. Before I moved away twenty years ago, beer was the only alcohol I consumed. Occasionally, a glass of wine, but beer was my drink of choice. But then I moved, and a funny thing happened. Since, at the time, you could only buy beer in a liquor store—and liquor stores were forced to be closed on Sundays (well, if you didn’t want 3.2 beer)—I was forced to branch out. And branch out I did. There’s a straight line between Minnesota's lack of Sunday sales pre-2017 and the birth of this site.

However, even though I drank a lot less beer overall, I still really enjoyed trying new ones. If I hadn’t had it before, I wanted it. Though I’ve greatly tapered off in recent years, I still have over 1,500 unique beers checked into my Untappd profile—just over 100 new beers per year on average. Not too shabby.

Anyway, all of that was to explain why there’s a beer review on a bourbon blog. Mostly, because I like beer. And since Four Roses was nice enough to offer a sample of their recent collaboration with New Belgium, there was no way I could say no. One of my favorite bourbon makers and a brewery that I enjoy a lot of beer from. It seemed like it was made just for me. That is, if I liked barrel-aged beers… but we’ll get to that later. Here’s what the press release has to say about the process behind this beer:

• Four Roses collects charred oak chips from inside their bourbon barrels, which contain caramelized wood sugars that add notes of brown sugar, vanilla, and toffee, and add color to the whiskey while it ages.

• A barrel maker in Minnesota toasts a custom blend of oak spirals which are then soaked in Four Roses’ bourbon.

• New Belgium's master brewing engineers spent months figuring out exactly how to construct a series of custom, stainless-steel vessels to hold the charred oak and wood spirals to infuse the beer.

• New Belgium's high-rye base ale is circulated through these vessels during maturation, imparting the beautiful flavor notes from the charred oak and bourbon-soaked spirals.

Ok, lets pour a cold one and see how this tastes.

Oakspire Bourbon Barrel Ale

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no cost for review purposes. It is available at my local liquor store for $13.99 for a six-pack.

Nose: Very biscuity with caramel and a faint hint of pine.

Mouth: Caramel, malty, biscuity, nutty, and you can certainly taste the bourbon and barrel influences.

Thoughts: Ok, so first thing to get on the table: I don’t usually like barrel-aged beers. I find them too sweet. I like a bitter beer with only enough sweetness to balance it out a bit. My go-to pour these days is still a hazy IPA. I like that tropical flavor. That, or a sour. I love a good sour beer. They’re very refreshing. But the good news is that my wife really enjoys barrel-aged beers. So, in a break from tradition, I decided to ask her to give her thoughts:

I like it. While it’s still sweet and boozy, what I particularly enjoy about this one is that it isn’t nearly as sweet or boozy as other barrel-aged beers I’ve had. It’s got a hint of bourbon, but you can still taste the beer. Sometimes they get overwhelmed by the barrel.

There you have it. Wife approved. And I have to agree, I also like this more than other barrel-aged beers I’ve had. Especially ice-cold. Once it warms up, it gets a bit too sweet for me. I don’t have the biggest sweet tooth, though.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse - Camp Nelson E, 2025

I’d like to thank Wild Turkey and their entire PR team for providing this with no strings attached.

Look at the top of this page. Right there under the logo, you’ll see a tagline that I feel sums up how I see this site: “The Irreverent Home of Frugal Bourbon Drinkers Since 2012.” Irreverent because I don’t take bourbon very seriously. When I started this site, that was a rarity in the online bourbon fandom, and I felt it needed to be called out. At the end of the day, it’s something tasty meant to make your life a little more enjoyable. Frugal because it’s only since about 2019 that I stopped living paycheck to paycheck—finally being able to keep a paycheck’s worth of money into savings on a semi-regular basis. I literally couldn’t afford to review things that cost a lot of money unless they came as samples.

See, it’s no exaggeration to say that my wife and I grew up in poverty. I’ve mentioned this before, but we both have memories of standing in line waiting for handouts of government cheese, fruits, and vegetables at the local VFW. I didn’t create a memory of living in a house without wheels until I was an adult in my first apartment after my first year of college (I’m not counting the dorms for this, though you could). That apartment was so poorly maintained that there were holes in the siding, and we slept on a used mattress and box spring that we found behind the local furniture store. Add in a young child—the result of a teenage pregnancy—and you might be surprised to see either of us taking on the debt to go to college. Luckily for both of us, the amount of debt needed in the ’90s was much less than what kids today have to take on, especially for poor kids who could also qualify for federal grants in addition to the more standard student loans. Still, I didn’t spend more than one year at the University of Minnesota before dropping out for financial reasons. It took four years of factory work to get back into school at the much less expensive local branch of the University of Wisconsin system.

I preface this review with this information not because I think we should get “attaboys” for us scraping and clawing our way to a place where we can relax a little (a place that I honestly would have called “rich” when I was a teenager), but because I know that someone is going to see that tagline and wonder just what the fuck I’m doing reviewing a $300 bottle of bourbon. And that’s a fine question. I’ve been asking myself the same thing since I saw the price of the bottle in the press release that came with the sample. The answer is simply that I didn’t see the price before I requested the sample. And being frugal means being good with your resources. I have the sample here. It would be wasteful not to review it. So with my hand-wringing out of the way, let’s move on to the actual whiskey, shall we?

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse – Camp Nelson E is the fourth release in their Rickhouse Collection. Each release is pulled from one rickhouse to highlight the differences between them. According to the press release:

Award-winning Russell’s Reserve introduces Single Rickhouse 2025 – Camp Nelson E, the highly anticipated fourth addition to its acclaimed Single Rickhouse Collection. The Collection explores whiskey “terroir", and how the exact location of the rickhouse - an often-overlooked detail, influences the whiskey’s final character. Now available in select markets, the 2025 edition from Camp Nelson E explores an entirely different environmental profile than the past releases – one shaped by shade, airflow, and cooler, slower aging conditions.When it came to exploring this year’s release, Master Distiller Eddie Russell and his team turned to Camp Nelson E, an iconic, 1946-built rickhouse tucked deep among the trees on Camp Nelson’s property edge. Located closer to the Kentucky River than the other rickhouses on the Camp Nelson campus, Camp Nelson E runs North-South along the river, subjecting it to different wind patterns off the river and more consistent shading throughout the year. Its unique positioning, deeper-set on the property, and dirt-floor “basement” level creates one of the coolest microclimates on the grounds – a stark contrast to the sun-drenched heights of Camp Nelson B from last year’s release.

So let’s get to the notes, shall we?

Russell’s Reserve Single Rickhouse - Camp Nelson E, 2025

Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $300 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $20.00

Details: 64% ABV. Non-chill filtered. Matured on Floor 5 of Rickhouse E.

Nose: Cinnamon, clove, toffee, fig, molasses, oak.

Mouth: Very spicy with notes of caramel, floral vanilla, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, green apple, and oak.

Finish: Long and very warm. Lingering notes of cinnamon, green apple, and oak.

Thoughts: Right off the bat, this is a beautiful, deep, rich amber color. The nose is rich and complex. It’s hot in the mouth with a nice mouthfeel, and the flavors work together extremely well. The finish is long and satisfying. Overall, this is a fantastic whiskey—and if it were half the price, I’d be doing everything in my power to get a bottle. However, as mentioned above, BourbonGuy.com is the home of the frugal bourbon drinker. So we need to mention that $300 price tag here. Not only is that well outside what I’d consider paying for a bottle of bourbon, it’s also outside my ability to pay that much for a single bottle. And I’m guessing it’s out of many of yours as well. So even if I see this on a shelf, that’s where it’ll stay. I really like this bourbon, but I have a hard time recommending anyone spend that much money on a bottle of bourbon in this—or any—economy.

It’s things like this that make me wonder if, over the course of this site’s life, we’ve gone from bourbon being disrespected because it was too cheap to officially jumping the shark on pricing. Charging $200 to $300 MSRP for a bottle of bourbon is becoming a trend and is certainly a choice by the industry. This is the first sample I’ve gotten from Wild Turkey, and after this, I’m guessing it’ll be the last they offer. I’m still a Wild Turkey fanboy, but I doubt the PR folks will appreciate me spending over a thousand words questioning the industry’s pricing strategy using Wild Turkey as an example. I mean, people are already moving to other spirits, or away from alcohol altogether. I can’t imagine that pricing things like this will help the long-term outlook of the bourbon industry. But what do I know? I’m not an MBA. I’m just a poor kid who grew up scarred by, and never forgetting, where he started.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Cedar Ridge Double Barrel Iowa Bourbon Whiskey, Batch 4

I’d like to thank the folks at Cedar Ridge Distillery for sending this sample with no strings attached.

Last month, while I was away on vacation, I received a package. Now picture this: I’m on vacation and get a notification from my doorbell that a package is being delivered (that’s a sentence I’m glad I don’t have to explain to my younger self…). My daughter, home on her lunch break to let the dogs out and not knowing that I’m watching, accepts the package and sets it aside for when I get home. At this point, I have no idea what it is and have to wait an entire week to find out. I was alive with curiosity. But because I was on vacation, I had to put that aside and wait. The only thing worse than unfulfilled curiosity for me is having a surprise spoiled.

It turned out to be a surprise bottle of bourbon, which is always a welcome surprise. I mean, honestly, if you’re going to be graced with unannounced gifts, isn’t bourbon one of the better ones you could be graced with?

So what is this bourbon that so unexpectedly showed up on my doorstep? That would be Batch 4 of Cedar Ridge Distillery’s Double Barrel Bourbon. According to the product website, this bourbon has a mashbill of 74% corn, 14% malted rye, and 12% malted barley. It’s scheduled for release on November 7th, 2025, and has an MSRP of $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle. Here’s what the producer had to say about it:

For this annual release, we transferred our original Iowa bourbon into a second, new American oak barrel to capture the full-bodied flavors of its freshly charred staves. The secondary finishing cask draws out the bold qualities of our classic bourbon and the rich flavors of Iowa corn.

So let’s see how this tastes, shall we?

Cedar Ridge Double Barrel Iowa Bourbon Whiskey, Batch 4

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes and at no charge. The suggested retail price is $59.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 52.5% ABV. Mashbill: 74% corn, 14% malted rye, and 12% malted barley.

Nose: Cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, along with the boozy/oaky smell of a dusty rickhouse.

Mouth: Grain forward with notes of vanilla, caramel, black tea, and cinnamon.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of black pepper, cinnamon, and bitter oak.

Thoughts: Initially, I was unsure whether I liked this or if it was off-putting. After sitting with it a bit, I realized the part that threw me was the strong, almost bitter grain notes hiding under the sweetness of that first sip. It doesn’t help that I usually don’t like malted rye in my bourbon, so having a lot of grain flavors that include that tends to give me pause. I was so unsure whether I liked this or not that I set the tasting aside to revisit it another day. On the second try, I put aside the Glencairn I normally use for notes and went with a rocks glass instead. A rocks glass is my preferred way to drink whiskey, so when I need to give something another look, that’s how I do it. Having done so, I found myself quite enjoying the Double Barrel Bourbon. If pressed on whether I’d purchase it for myself, I’d probably pass—$60 is a lot for a bourbon I didn’t instantly like. So this one gets a like from me, but I could also see where some folks might not.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Yellowstone Limited Edition, 2025

I’d like to thank the folks at Limestone Branch, Lux Row, Ross & Squibb, and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

It truly is fall in Minnesota. Last night we had our first frost of the season. Meaning, of course, that there were plants in the garden that had every bit of produce plucked from them, herbs on the deck that were brought into the house, and a sheet covering a planter too large to move on my deck—all in the name of eking a little more life out of them. I love fall, which is weird because I hate winter. Like, I finally understand why snowbirds leave for warmer locations. Not that I would do that myself. I may hate winter in Minnesota, but I love Minnesota more than I hate winter.

But for all that I hate the winter, I love the crisp, cool mornings of fall. Standing on the deck, watching the dogs play with a steaming cup of coffee in my hands, is just the best way to start the day. And the inverse of that is that a hearty glass of bourbon out there in the evening, watching the sun set beyond the neighbor’s trees, is the perfect end to the day.

And honestly, the annual Yellowstone Limited Edition release is one of those bourbons that I tend to enjoy on a cool fall evening. Not only are they usually very good, but they’re all unique. Previous releases have had various barrel-finished bourbons incorporated into the blend. This year, for the 10th Anniversary release, they stuck with just plain old bourbon for the blend—but they did it with the help of their corporate cousins at Ross & Squibb (MGP for us old folks who’ve been around a while). Here’s what Founder and Master Distiller Steve Beam had to say:

"We've done something different with this special annual release every year since 2015," said Beam. "This year's 10-year anniversary Limited Edition represents my natural progression of experimenting with blending, using three unique mash bills to create a remarkable product. In partnership with the Ross & Squibb team, we pushed the boundaries of innovation by creating our first blend featuring barrels from the Indiana and Kentucky distilleries - without compromising on our commitment to quality that has kept the Yellowstone Bourbon brand on shelf for more than 150 years."

So let’s see how it tastes.

Yellowstone Limited Edition 2025

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 750 mL bottle

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 10 years old. 52.5% ABV.

Nose: Oak, caramel, mixed berries, vanilla

Mouth: Cinnamon spice, Caramel, vanilla, mixed berries, oak

Finish: On the longer end of medium and warms. Notes of caramel, vanilla, oak, and just a hint of red fruit.

Thoughts: This is absolutely delicious. It’s rich with those stereotypical bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak. And I adore the lovely additional note of mixed berries or red fruit (depending on when you’re examining it). I don’t think there’s been a bad Yellowstone Limited Edition yet, but even so, this one stands out. I really like it. $100 is a lot for a single bottle of whiskey—especially in this economy—but at least the price has held steady since 2019. That’s something, at least.

Old Grand-Dad 16 Year 100 proof

Well, friends, I’m back from vacation. At 17 days, that’s the longest one I’ve ever had. And let me tell you, it was also the most relaxing—yet frustrating—vacation I’ve ever been on. Relaxing because I love the Redwoods. If my entire life was just sitting under the trees and listening to the birds, I’d be content. Add in the fact that my campsite was across the street from the cliffs that were towering above the coastline, where you could hear the waves crash and the sea lions bark, and well, you’ve got yourself a heck of a good time. The trip was only frustrating because, as always, I packed too much into the itinerary and couldn’t get to most of it. Especially when an RV was our only source of transportation for most of the trip (though we did rent a car a couple of times when we stayed in one place for a few days). And so we didn’t hit many of the places we wanted to go. But all in all, it was a great trip, and I’ve already booked an Airbnb—owned by the campground owners and somehow even closer to the coast—for next year so I can finally see the little places we missed this time.

On one of the days we had a rental car, we decided to go shopping at a few little shops in the area. One was, obviously, a liquor store. And in that little liquor store in the little city of Fortuna, I found something I’d only ever heard about.

See, last year about this time, Jim Beam put out a one-time-only limited release of their Old Grand-Dad bourbon. It was sixteen years old and 100 proof. Sadly, it also had an MSRP of just shy of $200 ($194.99 to be exact). Now, that’s a lot of money, and I fully expected to pay through the nose if I ever got lucky enough to see it. Well, this lovely little liquor store in the lovely little city had exactly one bottle in their locked case. One bottle that was actually under MSRP. This is the sort of thing I’d heard about but had never seen before—a liquor store having a one-time-only, limited release still sitting on the shelf a year later and for less than MSRP. I knew it was my lucky day. And since I was on vacation, I felt no guilt about splurging on it.

Now, I’m not going to go too far into the details of the bottling itself since, honestly, we all know Old Grand-Dad. But if you’re new, here are the Cliff’s Notes: Old Grand-Dad is the (until recently) long-neglected high-rye bourbon produced by Jim Beam. You’ve probably seen its signature garish orange label. The same juice is also used in the company’s Basil Hayden bourbon. This bottle is that juice, aged 16 years and bottled at 100 proof. Let’s see how it tastes.

Old Grand-Dad 16 Year 100 proof

Purchase Info: $190.00 for a 750 mL bottle at Fortuna Liquors, Fortuna, CA

Price per Drink (50 mL): $12.67

Details: 50% ABV. 16 years old. Jim Beam high-rye mashbill.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla ice cream, cinnamon, and a light fruitiness underneath.

Mouth: Thick and rich in the mouth. Follows the nose with a hefty dose of oak and spice. Notes of vanilla ice cream, cinnamon spice, and oak.

Finish: Medium/long and warm, with lingering notes of oak, vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: I love this. It’s absolutely the best Old Grand-Dad I’ve ever tasted. That said, it’s still Old Grand-Dad, and if you aren’t a super fan, I’d recommend skipping this one on price alone. But if, like me, you really enjoy OGD, then this is a splurge that will make you very happy. Thick, rich mouthfeel with caramel and vanilla ice cream layered over those classic Old Grand-Dad flavors. I’m in love.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon

I’d like to thank the folks at Cedar Ridge and their PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

If everything has gone according to plan, I am currently spending the evening in my rented RV at a winery in western Washington State—which makes this particular sample of bourbon especially topical for me (or at least future me, as I’m typing this the day before we leave for our road trip, feeling the stress of being almost on vacation).

I’ve been aware of Cedar Ridge and their bourbon for almost as long as they’ve been selling it. I visited back in 2012, reviewed a bottle of their whiskey from that trip in 2013, and then forgot about them for a few years, covering them now and again. In May, I took a “practice” RV trip to Tennessee for a long weekend. (I wanted to see if a trip of two weeks-plus was doable for me in a small RV.) We stayed at campgrounds, hotels, and Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts are great. You pay a fee to access their service, and then you can reserve a spot at farms, breweries, wineries, churches, and distilleries where you stay for free. It’s a really cool idea. The only catch is that they ask you to make a purchase while you’re there. Honestly, that’s no hardship for me—on a road trip, a bottle of wine or a meal is something I’d probably buy anyway. This way, I get a place to stay and some wine.

So, back to why this is topical. The first night on that trip, I actually stayed in the Cedar Ridge parking lot for our initial night on the road. We had a nice meal there, drank some wine, had a glass of Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon, and headed back to the RV. Honestly, it was a wonderful evening. If you’re an RVer passing through eastern Iowa, I highly recommend checking it out.

So now that we’ve covered my entire history with Cedar Ridge, both the winery and the distillery, let’s get into the bourbon of it all, shall we? According to the PR email I received:

Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon – Crafted from 100% Iowa corn and aged in char #3 barrels, this non-chill-filtered bourbon develops its bold character inside non-climate-controlled rickhouses. Exposed to Iowa’s dramatic 100-degree annual temperature swings, the whiskey takes on a flavor profile impossible to replicate elsewhere. As the first licensed distillery in Iowa since Prohibition, Cedar Ridge has become a nationally recognized leader in craft spirits, winning awards such as Best American Craft Whiskey at the New York World Spirits Competition. The result is an authentic grain-to-glass bourbon that celebrates the best of Iowa farming, family tradition, and craftsmanship.

So let’s see how I liked it when I wasn’t at the distillery. (It is different—ambiance really does elevate how much you enjoy things. This is why I tend to do my tastings in a cement room with blinking fluorescent lights, just to strip out any positive ambiance. Kidding, obviously.)

Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was provided to me at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $48.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.27

Details: Aged in #3 char white oak barrels. 58% ABV.

Nose: Cherry, vanilla, dried grain, nutmeg, brown sugar, caramel, and oak.

Mouth: Hot and spicy with a thick, syrupy mouthfeel. Notes of cherry, dried grain, caramel, cinnamon candies, and oak.

Finish: Long and hot with lingering notes of dried grain, caramel, and baking spice.

Thoughts: This is a well-crafted, grain-forward bourbon. Unfortunately for me, while I appreciate grain-forward bourbons, I don’t particularly like them. So I’m neutral on this one, but think a lot of folks will love it. I’d pour this now and then, but the bottle would last multiple years in my house.

---

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy.