McKenzie Bottled-in-Bond Wheated Bourbon

@dubz480's review yesterday of McKenzie's Single Barrel reminded me that I've had the Bottled in Bond Bourbon on my "to review" list for a long time.  So why the delay? It's not because I've been unclear about my overall opinion - it's excellent.  But it's a complex dram and I was not readily finding the words to describe it.  I'm still going to struggle a bit, but here goes - The nose is very pleasant - a typical bourbon scent of caramel and corn, along with a strong base of oak and mild baking spices. The palate has some really nice, mild wood notes, some more caramel and corn, and a bit of spice.  It's not an overly sweet bourbon, and it's very nicely balanced between rich, oily, sweet and oakey. The whiskey finishes without burn and a slight spearmint note. The details I've given are an accurate version of what I experienced, but incomplete.  I'll update this review if and when I can better place some of the other great scents and flavors.  Had I been served this whiskey blind, I would not have pegged it for a wheated bourbon - it's simply a lot different than other wheated bourbons I'm familiar with - I feel it has more in common with corn/rye/barley mashbill bourbons. At some point I'll do some comparison testing to determine with certainty, but the Mckenzie's BIB quite possibly is my favorite under $50 bourbon.    And it appears that it's popularity is growing quickly. After reading @dubz480's review of the single barrel, I searched for a single barrel bottle for sale online.  No luck. I also noticed that the standard BiB seemed to be out of stock everywhere.  Hopefully that will be rectified soon, or else an emergency trip to upstate New York night be needed.

Powerful nose on this one! Pecan wood, juicy red apple, and fresh hay hit you with force. Also some ethanol, but thankfully does not show up later. On the palate we get pecan nut, oak, cocoa, caramel, and honeycrisp apple. Flavors are bold and rich. Medium to long finish features oak and spicy cinnamon. Not the most complex finish, but appreciate the fullness of it. Mouthfeel is thick and chewy, which compliments the bold flavors very well. Much to do has been made about this being a wheater, but don't buy it as a substitute for Weller; the flavors couldn't be more different. Buy it because for the price it offers a richer experience than many other wheated bourbons on the market (looking at you Maker's) An overall solid offering. It would also be worth noting that this changed dramatically from the neck pour, which was much more chocolate forward and less complex. Of yet further note would be that the plastic cap/cork doesnt seem to make what I would consider a great seal, with the cap basically sliding out with no resistance on subsequent openings. Whether this played a role in the development of the flavors I can only speculate, but felt it worth mentioning.

The thing with craft distilleries is you never know what you’ll be opening up. Will it be something overpriced and way too young, or will it be a diamond in the rough? I don't mind paying a bit more, if I know what I’ll get is a solid product. But, what pisses me off is some NAS sourced bottle that’s priced way too high, or some young juice that was simply put out way too early ( and I get it...it’s a business...has to start earning a revenue). This one, courtesy from @jonwilkinson7309 , fortunately does not fall into the camp of over-priced bottles too early. This is a classic bourbon, with tastes of baking spices, cinnamon, and a hefty dose of oak. At close to 5 yrs of age, it’s a bottled-in-bond, which isn’t common in the craft scene. And at this price point ($50), it’s a no-brainer buy. They have a 10 yr coming out this year—-i’ll Be a definite buyer of that. Thanks Jon for the pour!

ladies and gentleman, this bottle is an absolute winner when it comes to wheated bourbons. People like wheated bourbons because they are softer and don't have that rye spice to them. My small complaint about many wheated bourbons in the market is that they are too sweet for my taste, but of course that is just my opinion. When you look at the Weller Special reserve, it is less sweet and very slightly better than brands like Makers Mark. However, it is nothing more than a mediocre whiskey that people get really excited about. Mckenzie has so much more flavor and it definitely is on the less sweet side of the wheat bourbons. This comes in at 50% which i think is the perfect abv for this bottle. And the finish is quite long and it makes you want more. If this is in your area go and pick it up, the bottle is about $43.

Mostly caramel on the nose with some slight grassy notes. Wheaty and grainy flavors mixed with some caramel and a hint of vanilla ring through. Some hints of white fruit make an appearance, but definitely hide in the background. There is a slight spiciness as well. A light-medium body. The finish is long enough to be appreciable with some ethanol burn, which might be off-putting to some, and cereal-like flavors with the aforementioned flavors lingering briefly before setlling into a caramel apple like flavor. I would recommend trying this if you like wheated bourbons.

The nose shows it’s youth by featuring cinnamon and a bit of pepper right off the top, along with nutmeg, oak, with cooked sugar, vanilla and caramel in the background. Touches of brown sugar comes out as it breathes. The palate is dry and oaky and leads with pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg as vanilla custard and a slight nuttiness follows. The finish is medium long with cinnamon that keeps the mouth warm and tingling and lingering vanilla, oak and caramel.