Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon

I happened upon Smoke Wagon Small Batch Bourbon at the store and decided to bring it home based on the hype I’ve seen. It wasn’t exactly bargain basement pricing at 56 beans for this 100 proof Bourbon. This is typically in a dark bottle, but this came in a clear bottle with a gold label. The back of the label explains they ran out of the dark amber glass and this “is not limited nor special.” We’ll circle back to a part of that statement later in this blog post. The aroma was caramel, brown sugar, leather, oak, cherries, and nuts. The flavor was spicy black pepper, brown sugar, caramel, oak, leather, and cherries. The finish was oak tannin and leather with black pepper and a back of the throat alcohol presence. The aftertaste had a long lasting black pepper and alcohol note. While this isn’t limited, as they stated it also isn’t special. In fact it’s almost pedestrian. It might be worth 40 bucks, but certainly is not worth the 56 buck price of admission. I’m glad I didn’t exert any extra energy to find this bottle. I might try the other Smoke Wagon variants if I run into them, but I won’t go out of my way to try to find them to bring home.

Stellum Rye

I’ve seen several positive reviews of Stellum Rye, so when I happened upon a bottle I decided to give it a try. At 116.24 proof this had potential to be a hottie. At a price point of 55 bucks per bottle, I was hopeful I would like this Rye. My first couple of pours seemed to have a mint characteristic, but after having glasses with a clean palate, I think it was due to the interaction with what I had eaten or drank prior to the glass. The website indicates this is a Rye blend of 95% Indiana Rye with the remainder being comprised of barrels from Kentucky and Tennessee. The aroma was leather, brown sugar, caramel, black pepper, sweat, baked apples, and an underlying earthy note. The flavor was initially sweet with brown sugar, caramel, apples, slight black pepper, melon, and just a slight hint of mint. The finish had apples, brown sugar, and light black pepper long into the aftertaste. If you’re paying attention, what I didn’t mention was alcohol. Sure it was present, but always in the background and never strong nor oppressive. I’m not exactly sure how they made a high proof Rye without a strong presence of alcohol, but here it is. There is a lower proof Rye which is slightly less expensive I prefer more, but when you consider the proof on this one the price point seems appropriate. I’m not going to run out and grab another bottle, but perhaps you should if high proof spirits are you favorite. Give it a whirl and see what you think.

Stellum Bourbon

I had seen some recent excited posts for the roll out of Stellum bottles, so when I happened upon a bottle of Stellum Bourbon I brought it home to see if there was anything there. At $55 it wasn’t crazy expensive, but it wasn’t cheap either. It’s in the price point most bottles try to be nowadays, but I’m in the camp of if you are going to charge more than $50, it better be special. Stellum rings in at 114.98 proof so you’re getting full use of all the spirits in the bottle which may make the price of admission acceptable to some. The aroma is restrained brown sugar, black pepper, oak, leather, and tobacco. The alcohol is low yet present in the aroma. The flavor was brown sugar, black pepper, oak, leather, and a back of the throat presence of alcohol. The finish lingers with black pepper and the warming post consumption is where you know it packs a punch. While there is nothing at all wrong with this bottle, it just doesn’t get me excited. It’s not complex enough for the price I paid. If this were $15 less than I might be singing a different tune, but at the 55 buck price point I expect more that just a higher proof. Maybe this needs a cube or a splash to really shine, but when I added water it just seemed more watered down so I stuck to consuming it neat. Again, it’s not bad in any way, but it’s not complex enough for me to purchase it again.

Redwood Empire Lost Monarch

Many people reported loving Redwood Empire Lost Monarch so I had to give this blend a try. It took awhile, but I finally snagged a bottle. I’m still not sure why it was difficult to find, but when I did, it had a $40 price point on the 45% ABV Whiskey. I was hopeful after trying Pipe Dream this would be just as delicious, but it turned out to have more in common with Emerald Giant. That’s understandable once you realize this is a blend of 60% Rye Whiskey and 40% Bourbon. The aroma was filled with spicy rye, black pepper, brown sugar, clove, and hints of spearmint. The flavor was slightly sweet and focused on caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, black pepper, rye, and of course spearmint. The finish was restrained brown sugar and caramel, light black pepper, and lasting low spearmint. I’m just not a fan of spearmint in my rye so this one, although the spearmint is restrained, doesn’t make me want to purchase another bottle. If you love EG then this bottle is definitely one you should try, otherwise, go for the Pipe Dream.

PS: The namesake for this Whiskey is a 321 foot tall coastal redwood.