Driftless Glen Small Batch Straight Bourbon

[12.25.2024] Picked this up on a work trip through Wisco, probably at a Woodmens. Word was that it's "pretty good" in the land of old fashioneds. Was stuck by the fingerprints in the bottle and brought it home and saved it for my FIL for Christmas. Initially sweet, followed by common bourbon flavors from an oak barrel and mid corn bill. But then we looked at the proof. Our particular barrel (bottled by Casey, batch 3) was ~97 proof. This is very easy to sip and would be a great base in any bourbon cocktail. Impressed and the price wasn't outrageous yet. Buy a bottle before the collectors ruin another new player.

Light amber color. Medium number of speedy legs. Nose is a little bit hot. Caramel dominates, with a little bit of malt hiding in there. A bit of a smokey note and a hint of cacao and ripe fruit. Plenty of warmth. Some spiciness shows up mid palate and gives way to a moderately long finish. It's a bit immature, kinda woody, almost cardboardy, but it has enough going on to make it interesting. All the bourbony stuff is there. This, as a $35 bottle is a very solid value.

I’m from Wisconsin and so is Driftless Glen so I naturally have to like this. And I do. It’s a great sipper and how they source the ingredients is fantastic. It’s sweet on the palate, potentially too sweet for some, but I enjoy it. The finish is strong enough so you know it’s there. I got this as a gift for my 40th birthday and I’m glad I did. The old lady and I opened this one evening and around 3am we had half the bottle gone and figured it was bedtime.

An appealing sienna color. Nose is middling - cherry cola and orange rind, but thrown off by a strong undercurrent of oat. Huge cherry on the palate. Caramel. Orange bitters. Oaky barrel notes are a tad heavy. Proof is nicely calibrated - just a twinge of spice. Well clear of the craft pack - no obvious flaws. Critiques are preferential only. I’d sip this anytime for a reasonable price.

Amber in color with thick legs! :) Nose is light but vanilla and butterscotch come through. First taste was hit by a lot of spice followed by some sweet notes of caramel that didn’t last long. Ended with oak notes and some lingering tastes of a bourbon that could have used a little more time maturing to be a great bourbon. All that said it is a very good bourbon for under $35 (33.95).

I think this is fine. It's on the level of Evan Williams white label or recent tasting of Wilderness Trail BiB, high rye recipe. Maybe slightly better. Not as good as the New Riff bourbons I tried. I'd be interested to try this at cask strength. Happy to drink this, but won't be buying a bottle, as it seems I can get relatively similar quality for 12 bucks.