Ragged Branch Signature Bourbon

A really fascinating find. For background, see Lee Stang's article in Bourbon & Banter, https://www.bourbonbanter.com/drink/drink-reviews/bourbon-reviews/ragged-branch-distillery-is-coming-of-age/. Pretty amazing result for a distillery that started in 2014! The picture in Distiller doesn't match the bottle I have, exactly, so to clarify, I'm tasting Ragged Branch Signature Bourbon, Virginia Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Batch 4, Bottle 376, 90 proof, 750ml. (Note Lee Stang's review was from Batch 5.) The Virginia ABC web site says the mash bill is 66 percent corn, 17 percent rye and 17 percent malted barley. There's no age statement but I believe this is a 4-year bourbon. Glassware: "Stave & Thief" Glencairn. On the nose (neat) there's very little, and I found that fascinating. I finally discerned something between graham crackers and malted milk balls (other than the perpetual vanilla and caramel bouquet in every bourbon). On entry, lots of front-of-mouth flavor and pleasant mouth feel. I prefer wheated bourbons, so I am sensitive to rye but this was not very spicy. Again with that mysterious hybrid of graham crackers and malted milk balls! The finish was equally smooth and pleasant, with an almost-sweet aftertaste. With a little room-temperature water, the bouquet opened up to a degree I've not experienced before, much more aroma on the nose than when sampled neat. That same mix of flavors was there as well as another that I couldn't identify. On the tongue, entry to finish, the same as before but enhanced. Then I remembered Lee Stang's reviews of this and other Ragged Branch bottlings where he mentioned "chocolate" and "malted milk balls" several times. I realized I'm tasting nougat, like from the center of a Three Musketeers candy bar! Definitely different from other bourbons. This is a really satisfying bourbon and I recommend it highly.

I'm rating both the Signature and the Wheated Bourbon together, as neither is good enough to warrant their own review. *NOSE: Young and Crafty. Dried Corn, Sawdust, Barnyard, Black Pepper. The Wheated does add some Brown Sugar to the mix. Not a pleasant combo. *NEAT: Very Sweet at the tip of the tongue, but unfortunately, it still has to pass the rest of your tongue for you to drink it. Again, lots of Youth with Dried Corn, Creamed Corn, Sawdust Bitter Oak and an an overall unpleasant Off Note of Sweet Tea that you find in the back of the refrigerator that has started to go bad or ferment strained through a piece of Wet Cardboard. That is the aftertaste that remains. As with the Nose, the Wheated does add some brown sugar sweetness, but not near enough to offset that back of the palate aftertaste. *SPLASH: Doesn't change anything. Neither version is salvageable. VERDICT: Picked up a 50ml of each when visiting a VA ABC while traveling. Dumped the majority of both 50mls pours down the drain and apologized to the sink for subjecting it to almost 100mls of this stuff.

Color: Medium Copper Amber Nose: Youthful nose of corn and varnish. Palate: (Drank with an ice cube ). Hmmmm (rubs chin)... Slight burn upon the first sip. Slightly musty flavor. As the ice melted into it, a "butterscotch" note came through on the nose, that I didn't get at first. Unfortunately, it doesn't carry over to the palate. Not much else to say. Finish: Medium and slightly drying with some musty, woodiness. Final Thoughts: I'm torn. I don't think this is all that good, but it's almost got some redeeming qualities to it. It's different, for sure. I've had worse. I'm actually heading up to the Ragged Branch Distillery tomorrow, and plan on tasting a few of their whiskeys, of course. I can at least eliminate this one from my flight. This was a small "nip" bottle that I picked up at a Liquor store, btw. 2.25 stars. Not great, not awful.

Virginia has an annual sale on Virginia Spirits. I was surprised how much these bottles are marked down. Gave me an opportunity to purchase product that's normally above my price point. Farm to distillery product. The rye and corn (wheat?) are grown on their farm. Aged 4 years, beautiful auburn color. Nice oily feel, smooth. Cinnamon, maybe vanilla buttercream. Finish with clove and honey. Price listed is not the sale price.

Similar to their wheated whiskey, this has a distinct malty farmlike element on the nose and palate. A hint of ethanol is present at the end, but doesn't overwhelm the nose. The palate is leads with a hint of sweet vanilla followed by rye spice and then finishes with the a roasty/malty note from the malted barley. Far from a stereotypical bourbon, but its a interesting pour.

Definitely a wheater! Corn dust, wheat bread, baking spices, a little char, long legs on the glass. Spicy but not hot, a distinct sour mash note on the nose. Smells like you're at the distillery. I get some raisin on the finish, or maybe dark fruit like cherries. Pleasantly surprising and well worth the money for a Double Gold Winner!