Up to this point if you were to ask a group of whiskey geeks what they think of Rebel Yell bourbon, all of them would probably tell you it's rotgut swill. Even the fact that it's a wheated bourbon likely sourced from Heaven Hill can't make up for just how terrible it is. Along those lines, I'm not really a fan of Heaven Hill's wheated bourbon expressions. Larceny is meh and the older Very Special Old Fitzgerald 12 year is even worse. I really enjoy Select Stock but that's only because those are cask strength and finished in cognac barrels. I'll admit though I was very intrigued when I heard Rebel Yell would be releasing a 10 year old wheated bourbon. Could a Non-Distiller-Producer release a better version of a product than the company who produced it?
Aged 10 years; 50% ABV; Barrel #4744374; $55
Nose: Very dense aromas with lots of sweets and a hefty oak backbone. Booze soaked dark cherries, cake batter.
Taste: Sweet, fruity, and lots of wood depth. On the fruit side, it's a bit of cherry bomb though as the bottle dwindled the cherry notes took on a smoky, earthy slant. That smokiness kinda reminds me of barbecue corn chips. There's also some classic wheater spice here in the form of cinnamon spiced apples. I know that sounds all over the place but there's a lot going on here and it all just works.
Thoughts: This is a really good bourbon. It's got a lot of the lovable wheater characteristics everyone goes crazy about these days, the price isn't terrible considering today's market, and it should be pretty easy to find. Granted, in this price range it's not really everyday sipper material so it's not as economical as something like Weller 12 but at least you can find this and I would argue taste wise it's just as good as the aforementioned "Pappy Jr". Considering how terrible the regular Rebel Yell is, I'm willing to say this is the best new bourbon launched this year.
Rating: B
Note that price is not considered when assigning a rating.
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