Long Road Distillers Straight Bourbon

Having been in the bourbon game for a few months now, it seems crazy that I haven't tried any of my local distilleries' offerings. Long Road Distillers, Gray Skies Distillery, and Bier Distillery are the closest craft distillers offering bourbon. I opted for Long Road because I was in the mood for dinner as well and they have a very nice food menu to go with their spirits and cocktail offerings. I ordered the whisky flight, which normally comes with their straight bourbon, straight corn whisky, and straight rye whisky. I was initially disappointed to learn they were out of rye, but my disappointment quickly gave way to excitement when I learned they would be substituting their wheat whisky made with red winter wheat. I will say that all three tastes were smooth and delicious and I plan to get a bottle of each, but I was not compiling tasting notes at the time. On this particular occasion, I purchased a bottle of the straight bourbon for home and that is what I am reviewing here. Long Road's bourbon is a 93 proof, non-chill filtered, small-batch described as a "careful blend of three distinct barrels" that are aged "nearly 3 years." I do not know the exact mash bill, but they do reveal that the mash includes corn, rye, red winter wheat, and malted barley. The nose is a confectionary delight with strong notes of creamy vanilla and candied cherries layered on toasted oak. The mouthfeel is light, but not dry, and the palate is sweet with caramel apple and pralines. Not to be outdone by the sweet notes, there is a nice cinnamon heat leading to a fairly long finish of leather and oak. This is a delightful sipper and works well in cocktails, which I found out first hand at the distillery, not to mention a bottle that supports a local small business. I am very happy with this bourbon and am looking forward to the future of this label.

I believe that Long Road uses at least 4 different mash bills for their bourbons, and I’m not sure which one mine was. I will say that I enjoy Long Road very much as a company, and their products are high quality, as is this bourbon. However, the bourbon I tried had a sap like taste that was not pleasant...I want to believe that with age, their bourbon will improve and I am interested to see what happens in the future. I was not impressed with this bourbon for the price.

Trying it neat. The nose light with slight herbal smell fresh cut grass. Also smells buttery. Pallet is smooth brown sugar taste. You have a tingle on the sides and tip of your tongue slight herbal after taste. Some what one dimensional. Tasted in a flight at the distillery

No bite on the tongue. Smooth sipper. Warm oakey finish. Great for beginner bourbon drinker.

Strong after taste. A decent weekday bourbon. Nothing special.

pretty harsh needs a few years of age for the price