Rebel Single Barrel Cask Strength Bourbon

63% ABV, selected by Scenic City Whisky Slingers, barreled 8/14/18. Nose is hot. Alcohol hot, cinnamon red hots, hell, even the vanilla I can find is somehow hot. Palate, as you might expect at this ABV and sans age statement, is also best described as hot. Candy hot tamales, cinnamon red hots, and a lot of dry wood spice dominate from beginning to end. There is no real transition to a close, it’s just that you suddenly recognize you can feel your tongue separately from the roof of your mouth, and that you hadn’t realized they had merged at some point in the recent past. What’s it like with water you ask, because nobody would ever drink 132 proof whisky even if it was touted as a smooth wheater? Well since you asked, I’ll tell you that it is a huge tease. You can sniff a nice caramel hiding amongst all the hots, and the hots don’t seem quite so painful if you nose just a little too deep. That sip though man, oof, what a doozy she is! Starting off all warm and sultry, sweetly coating your mouth with caramel and cinnamon and Demerara sugar, maybe even a little peanut brittle and some of that grape funk that sometimes pops up in Wild Turkey. All seems nice, and then you give it a swallow and take a breath and your mouth is now on fire. I don’t mean hot, or spicy, or dry. I mean I almost couldn’t take a breath like I’d been pepper sprayed after running a quarter mile kind of hot (yes, I know what that’s like, and no, I don’t wanna talk about it). Hot. Painfully hot. Go back for a second sip thinking the alcohol by now has surely numbed those choke receptors in your throat only to find out that nope, choke reflex is still working and damn where is all the oxygen in this room!? I want to like this. It has potential, and the color, viscosity and legs indicate a quality production run and a good barrel. I want it to be a somewhat available and affordable alternative to the William Larue Weller Antique Collection that the taters haven’t yet found and ruined. Or maybe just an alternative to the Wellers 107 that still inexplicably sells for quadruple what it’s actually worth. Yes, I know, the WLW hope is a bridge waaaay to far. The 107 comparison should be fair though. I still remember when 107 was $22 and on the bottom shelf beneath the $30 Maker’s Mark and adjacent the $18 Wellers Special Release. And yet, here we are 10 years later and this single barrel, handpicked, high-proof, limited edition wheater is still not as good as a mass produced regular run whisky that sold for a third of the price. And that’s a shame on all accounts.

(OHLQ Barrel Pick) A nice wheated bourbon with a lot of upside to it. I get creamy sweet vanilla notes pretty heavily out of it, both on nose and palate. Reminds me of the flavor profile of a Weller Special Reserve with the volume turned up. Not like an Antique 107 though, as the fruity notes that come forward in that one don't show up as much in this wheater. It's not -incredibly complex- but it is doing more than the WSR does for sure. Quite sweet and has a pretty long and pleasant finish. It is a tad hot, but if you're accustomed to high proof stuff, then you'll probably be right at home here. All in all this is a great sipper with a lot of nice notes to be honest. Knowing how inexpensive the 100 proof of this is, I'm looking forward to checking it out.

I think my local store picked a real winner ("Yelp" for anyone else who has that barrel too). It's no surprise it reminds me a lot of Larceny Barrel Proof since it's also distilled by Heaven Hill and uses the same mashbill. Opens up with a drop of water or a little ice, tons of flavors to dissect once you conquer the heat. If I had to choose a store barrel pick, I'd say this really stands above something in the same price range, like Knob Creek. UPDATE: I did a blind between this and Larceny B522. I could pick up subtle differences and managed to correctly identify them. I still prefer the Larceny, but for $50, the Rebel is a great alternative if you can't find any Larceny batches.

With the nose on this im almost getting this clorox lemon wipe, or pine sol scent to it, with a mild carmel scent to it. I feel like im almost getting a plasticy scent to it as well, as if you took a deep wife of a tupperware container. I do really like the mouth feel on this one. Its got a nice thick, viscous feel to it. It doesnt have a ton of sweetness to it on the palate to me, maybe a bit of honey but im mostly getting more of a baking spice taste to it, like a nutmeg or ginger. I really want to like this one more than I do because it is a very smooth, pleasing sip but Im not pulling a ton of that sweetness I was anticipating. But overall still a really good sip

Barrel 7533571 Filled 11/2/2016 Amber color. Like the Rebel 100, the nose and palate are dominated by standard notes of vanilla, caramel and cinnamon. The mouthfeel is much richer and hotter, and a bit oilier, than the Rebel 100. Lots of cinnamon chewing gum on the palate, along with burnt sugar and browned butter, and hints of leather and sweet oak. The finish is medium-long and nicely warming, again led by cinnamon chewing gum (that you've chewed on for a while), a light note of fresh baked bread and some tannic oak.

126 Proof Aroma - citrus and brown sugar dominate the nose. Very light oak and vanilla presence in the back. As it opens I’m getting dark fruits. Very sweet profile here and it’s nice. Taste - follows the nose. But it’s more elevated. Overall - This is actually really nice. Full bodied, long finish. Exceptional offering for under $50. And this is extremely smooth for the proof. The more I sip this, the more I appreciate it. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better bottle under $50