Cedar Ridge Iowa Straight Bourbon

What a blast from the past. Many years ago, when I was between jobs and money was tight I had to indulge my whiskey appetite on more affordable bottles like Cedar Ridge. Although the old bottling was at a paltry 80 proof, it actually made for a very easy sipping and inoffensive drink. And then sadly, they killed it off. Fast forward 6 years later and I see a familiar name in a not-so-familiar bottle. Cedar Ridge is back? Well, you know I just had to try it and take a stroll down memory lane. The nose is interesting on this one. Not what I remember, but that was many years and dozens of whiskies later. Smells a bit like saw dust and cherries. The taste is absolutely different than I remember. Gone are the lashings of sweet corn and with that comes a little vanilla and brown sugar riding on a plank of cedar which is a unique aspect for sure. Interesting... I think this whiskey actually does Cedar wood better than Kamiki who make a whiskey specifically aged in Cedar casks. The finish is where this whiskey shines. As the taste goes down that finish blooms beautifully and takes over your mouth. Its sweet and fruity with a bit of corn. Reminds me of a bowl of Apple Jacks, mixed with vanilla soy milk and a dusting of sugar. Its actually quite pleasant, albeit very short. But hey, in this price category did you expect a long oily finish? In the $40 something category this newer Cedar Ridge Straight Bourbon can really hold its own. Quite good and interesting indeed... but I do still miss the old 80 proof stuff I used to get from Grocery Outlet for $28 a bottle.

COLOR/ Pale Gold - Light Amber AROMA/ Sweet Apple, Pear, Slight Straw, Slight Vanilla Wafer, Slight Cinnamon, Alcohol FIRST SIP/ Light, Sweet, Butter, Caramel, Warming Alcohol, Slight Pear, Slight Honey, Slight Corn TASTE/ Sweetness, Light Oily, Pecan, Slight Caramel, Vanilla, Slight Smokey Wood, Warming Spice, Nutty Buttered Popcorn FINISH/ Slightly Smooth, Sweetness, Spice, Hint of Carmel, Warming, to Lingering Spice, the lingering spice dissipates over 5 month of being open! MT GLASS/ Sweet Carmel, Butterscotch, Vanilla, Sweet Wood, Slight Lumber Yard (Earthy Sweet Wood), Hint of Corn Age Statement: 3 years Minimum per the lable 86 proof Bottle Batch 0408. I tried this with me lovely wife at the Black Sheep Social Club in Iowa a bit over a year ago... There was more Butter, Caramel, Wood and Smokiness in this beverage then. Now they are bottling at 6% more proof than before, I'm not sure if this would change the Taste and Flavor profiles that much... PLEASE DO NOT GET ME WRONG... This is a Delicious Beverage, Sweet, Smooth, Spicy not overly complex. 1.31.21 Review - With Oxidation over about 5 months this beverage is as good as when I tried it in Iowa July 2019. Last Rated at 4.5 Re-Reviewed: 9.16.20 1.31.21 Be Kind, Be Generous, Be Real, Be Responsible!!! CH33RS

nose - apple, apple, apple! getting both a green apple and honeycrisp strong off the top, and a good amount of sugary sweetness. light and oaky palette - a little young initially, with a nice sugary sweetness, and a hint of the strong apple from the nosing overall - while a slight youthiness comes across in the tasting, between the strong apple on the nose and the very sweet follow through, i very much enjoyed this offering from iowa

When I first purchased and tried it neat I wasn't impressed and pushed it to the back shelf. Four months later I tried it again over ice and more of the flavors were pronounced. It is young and light, but sweet. Not a lot pf depth of character for a bourbon. Decent sipper over ice, but would not use to make my Manhattans. Batch 0406

Caramel bouquet, soft pallet with flavors of butterscotch candy, though mild. This has a light white pepper note early and some moderate warmth going down, but a soft finish. Would like a bigger flavor, yet this is very drinkable neat.

Batch # 0416 Poured neat. Damp oak, dusty corn and cherry vanilla cola on the nose. A little on the thin side at 86 proof. Flavors of honey tea, pear, and vanilla jump out consistently. Short finish of charred oak and pepper.