Suggested by a liquor store owner, I decided to give it a shot (not sure if he just wanted to get rid of the inventory or recommend a good dram). On the nose, there was something familiar and nice. A little oak, caramel, dark sugar... overall, nothing insulting. On the palate, it was good, with more oak and caramel notes and a little licorice toward the back end (at least for me). The finish was soft, medium lasting, but at 49%, this hits me on the spot. Not too hot, not too spicy, easy sipper. The cost is another subject. Overall, I think this is a good and easy sipper, but for the price of $80, in my area, is too much. For that price, you can get a Russell Reserve's Single Barrel, two Russell Reserve 10 years, or two Eagle Rare (if you can find them at MSRP). But I guess this is the trend with celebrity whiskeys. Outsource whiskey from reputable brands, do something different with them (put them in a trailer) and sell them at a higher price.
About this bottle
American Highway Reserve is a bourbon brand made in collaboration with Bardstown Bourbon Co. and country music artist Brad Paisley. For Route 2, the final blend incorporated three bourbons, two from Kentucky and one from Georgia, each with different mash bills. These bourbons were between 4-12 years of age. Like the previous batch, the bourbon barrels for Route 2 were further aged in a Rolling Rickhouse -- literally a semi-trailer truck -- which followed Paisley on his summer 2021 tour. Incidentally, Route 2 traveled more miles on the road than the first batch so expect to see flavor differences for both the bourbon recipe and the finishing effect as well. Only 10,000 cases are available in select markets as of May 2022.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 5 parsed reviews.
Heavy vanilla nose. Nice spicy finish. Score should get low 90s on flavor. Expert score maybe low due to $$? Little overpriced but still good.
Tastes like a gimmick. Meh, like Paisley's music.
Nice hit. Not much flirting on palates.
R5y541
Tastes like this
Closest flavor profiles across the whole catalog.
