Horse Soldier Premium Straight Bourbon

Horse Soldier bourbon had been circulating in my local liquor stores for a couple of years but I had resisted buying a bottle as I was under the impression that it was all about branding (if you have seen the 12 Strong movie or read the background story, you will know what I mean) and not a quality product. Well, I was wrong. This is a quality bourbon. I attended a Horse Soldier tasting even last week where I tried the three expressions in the core range and was given the Straight Bourbon expression as part of the package. At 87 proof it won’t blow your socks off or wow your palette with complexity. What it will do is give you a solid bourbon with those usual bourbon notes of vanilla, cinnamon, toffee, honey, and some warming species on the finish. It’s very rounded and easy to drink neat, but it does have a decent amount of rye in the mash bill so I suspect it would also be good with ice or in a cocktail. If you prefer higher proof bourbons, they also have a cask strength (wheated) expression which provides that extra punch and a longer finish. This straight bourbon goes for about $45 where I live, and I think it’s a fair price. 80/100

I’ve heard the story of this bottle and it sounded really cool. I saw it at a hotel bar and jumped at the chance of trying it. Usually this bottle goes for $60-$70 which has always been to much for me to try. Had this neat in a rocks glass. The nose was wasn’t bad with some spice, caramel and a hint of ethanol. It had a stronger nose than expected which was a positive. The palate had a decent mouthfeel where the spice grew to more of a oak flavor. The caramel was there but there was more spice than sweetness to the flavor. The finish was decent more of the spicy flavor but it didn’t have me wanting to go back. This is where I enjoyed the nose but drinking it didn’t get me excited. I’m really glad I didn’t buy a bottle and waited to try this. A lot of the smaller craft/gimmick (even if cool) bottles have high prices and sometimes aren’t just worth it. I’d put this one in that category.

This is a fantastic affordable bourbon that remains in my top 10 to buy or recommend! It drinks very smooth. The emotional story behind the label makes it better as well. I'm not including much detail about flavor profiles, notes, and finish because as of right now, my Bourbon/Whiskey pallet is still pretty underdeveloped with more than 50 tracked tastings, but less than 100 as of 2022. (That's not all consumed, just all appreciated outside of shots and mixers)

Nose- blunted baking spices, caramel, green apple Taste - caramel, vanilla, apple, baking spice, but the vanilla and toffee flavors dominate toward the finish. Neither the nose nor the flavors are strong and off-putting, but not overly enticing, either A note on packaging: the cork is quite brittle and small pieces keep falling in as I progress through the bottle

On the nose I get charred oak predominantly. At the first sip I get carmel and sugar. It moves to a cinnamon finish with overtones of the char. I can taste the rye in a hint of spice through the sip. A worthy bourbon but I look forward to this mash bill getting more of an oak soak! I got this bottle as a gift. Thank you Rob!!!

Blind taste test! Color - lighter yellow Nose - dull baking spice Taste - powerful oaked spice with some butterscotch and some nuttier notes on the backend. Overall, pretty soft. As I progress through the glass, the toffee and sweet vanilla-caramel notes come out. Toasted corn