Gold Bar Rickhouse Bourbon Whiskey

Summary: It looked interesting, around $30 ish, over 50%ABV (Label says Cask Strength too!) and finished in Oak Staves (think Marker's wood series or private select) and a double gold @ SF!!! My first drain pour (swear!). Should have just gotten a regular Knob Creek... ok, the review: The color: Darker than most bourbon's - probably due to the extra charred French Oak Staves for the finish. No Age statement on this one but it is made with Hetchy Hetch water (NW Yosemite valley glacial water from Ca.)... the glacial water probably had no impact on the manufacturing of this product. The nose was bizzare, artifical/fake and overpoweringly sweet. Unable to pinpoint anything organic in the nose, I'm thinking crappy italian knock-off syrup of some sort. On the pallete: Sweet sickly syrup of unknown or alien origin. I had this around the house for 2 weeks.... tried a dram daily, it never got better and I tried like I did with my 2nd wife! Heed this warning unless your super curious and living on the edge and need a tip over!

The nose is scary. Just smells like rubbing alcohol. But the palate is very smooth. Hints of vanilla bean & black pepper. It takes a full point off in my book for the overly hot smell.

It wasn’t a great one, sadly. Not much complexity in the flavors, and even after adding a bit of water all I got was cinnamon and some weird smoke.

This abomination smells awful. It’s so hot it’s ridiculous and the only taste I get is wet cardboard. Truly the worst bourbon I’ve ever tasted.

Started hot with cinnamon faded pretty quickly into stone fruits and then quick hint of brown sugar which faded very quickly.

Nose is sweet carmel and smoke. Flavor starts as a big explosion and subdues to a very long caramel finish.