Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Bourbon

In the quest to search for a higher Rye bourbon to make drinks with ( although I now realize, Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered is probably a bit too nice to mix ), I decided to pick up a bottle of this stuff that a buddy of mine swears by. I had a taste last night, without really stopping to write down notes and I was mightily impressed... Although there is an underlying ethanol hit from the proof, there is some pleasantly sweet caramel on the nose with some herbaceous rye spice and orange pith. Smells like it will be mostly dry and spicy with a little sweetness. What an insanely unique taste this is. It opens with sweet and innocent caramel but is almost immediately engulfed in bittersweet dark chocolate and cherries. The rye hits full strength about mid palate; leather and tannic oak packs a bitter wallop along with some tongue prickling pepper and as these flavors fade toward the finish, that herbaceous rye spice stays. The finish is decidedly dry. Leather and tannic oak finish this rather enjoyable if not slightly hectic and conflicted bourbon. You know, its unique for sure without being offensive. That's HARD to pull off in the world of bourbon. I'd say this is well worth the price of admission for such a unique drink.

Batch No. 207C Bottled on 06-29-2024 57.25% abv; 114.5 proof Original price - $72.99; Sale price $39.96 Open 2 weeks Nose - State fair caramel apples, honey roasted peanuts; black pepper, buttered popcorn, tobacco, star anise, clove, medium oak, and strong ethanol. Palate - Peanut brittle, red apple, toasted bread, cereal grain, and clove. Finish is medium-long with pipe tobacco, oak tannins, peanut shells, light honey, black pepper, and medium ethanol. It's nice to revisit something that had a lot of fanfare and faded away even though it's always been good. Too much market saturation with MGP sourced whiskey, so there's always something new to try. I was told by the buyer at the store that Smoke Wagon bottles are sourced from China and jumped to $15 per bottle due to tariffs, so they are looking to clear out the inventory and get a new source. For $70-80, this is one of the best widely available MGP bourbons. For $40 it's an absolute steal.

BATCH No. - 175 A ABV - 57.70% NEAT NOSE - Rich, full nose. Lots of caramel, brown sugar, maple, and oak. PALATE - Slightly viscous mouthfeel. The oak comes through the most on the palate supported by a sweet, but less pronounced note of caramel. FINISH - Dry and Long. The oak carries through on the palate and lingers for a while. Not the most desireable finish. BUY? - I’ve had this before at a restaurant (not sure what batch number) and I remember it being much more enjoyable. The nose was very similar, but on the palate, it was sweeter and the finish was not as oaky. I’m not sure if batch variations are this great, but I’d still recommend this. I just hope more batches are like what I tried at the restaurant. BUY AGAIN? - I’m willing to try another batch to see if I can get something more similar to my first experience.

Color: light copper color. Not many legs. There were a couple there and they were pretty light. Slow moving but more watery than oily. Nose: I’m getting a dark fruit. I also get some spice but the dark fruit is primary. Taste: definitely some spices there. I got a Kentucky hug down my chest. Second drink I got almost all that dark fruit I smelled. Drinks real easy for a high proof. My mouth feels super oily, not dry at all. I feel like each drink changes whether it is more fruit or spice. Finish?: long finish of that dark fruit taste. Water?: none needed

Nose - typical whisky smell Taste - very heavy on the smoke like whoa Finish - smoke has enveloped my throat, I'm in a campfire Score - 3.75, smoke is heavy on this one Scoring Legend 5.0 - Outstanding, unmatched to others 4.5 - Excellent, I will always keep a bottle in stock if possible 4.0 - Very good, quite enjoyable to drink, can consider as a solid choice 3.5 - Good, would taste again 3.0 - Average 2.5 - Acceptable, still drinkable 2.0 - Inferior, able to drink but not enjoyable 1.5 and below—wouldn’t drink again unless I am desperate

Batch 175C Bottled on March 20, 2023 115.4 proof Glass: Glencairn, rested 15 minutes. Color: Medium amber. Nose: Vanilla, caramel, a nice butterscotch note. Palate: Cinnamon red hots with more butterscotch on the back end. Finish: Not as hot as I'd expect, medium length. Splash: No new flavors are revealed. Overall: 7.5/10 - Between the light color and the lack of heat in the finish, this drinks like a young bourbon. The butterscotch notes were interesting, but I had hoped for a little more depth for the price.