VITALS:
- $75
- 100 Proof
- Blend of 12 yrs. and 11 yrs.
- Indiana
You know what I love? Discount whiskey! Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't a huge discount. It was only a mere $5 off the regular price. But, I've been reading a lot of good reviews of the Repeal Reserve bottlings lately, and I have been wanting to give it a try. After all, it's a blend of well-aged MGP whiskey, in a limited release, and at a price that's actually under most of the other big distillers' limited releases.
So, the $5 discount was simply all I needed to tip the scales here. To get a little more specific on the blend (which is put right on the front label, which I love), this is a "medley" that is 12% 12-year bourbon with a 21% rye mashbill; 78% 11-year bourbon with a 21% rye mashbill; and 10% 11-year bourbon with a 36% rye mashbill. It sounds like a magical mix of rye mashbills to me, and this was one of those bottles that I pretty much cracked open as soon as I got home.
Before I even started taking notes on the smell or taste, I felt compelled to take note of the color (something I don't typically do). While bourbons tend to be darker anyway, certainly in comparison to single malts, this one was particularly dark in color, almost chocolate-like, and was certainly darker than any bourbons I've had recently.
The smell immediately from the pop of the cork was rich, with dark fruits like plum and raisin. It was also full of brown sugar, and it even had that tang or spice from just a bit of anise. There were light oak tones, but overall it had a rich sweetness to it. Towards the end I started noticing an underlying cereal note, like Cheerios.
The first note that I got when I took my first sip was a sweet but rich nutty note, kind of like a mix between cashew and pecan. It also had notes of dark chocolate to it, adding a little sweetness and a little bitterness. However, that bitterness was certainly welcome to help offset the sweet notes of caramel and vanilla that quickly made their way to the forefront.
I got a bit of maple syrup as well, which mixed with the nutty notes to create a sort of candied pecan flavor that I thought was incredible. There were also light cinnamon notes, and even a bit of a buttery vanilla note as well.
This bourbon was rich and complex, and it really hit all the right notes for me. It was dessert-like in flavor without being dessert-like in sweetness. It had the earmarks of a well-aged whiskey, with just a touch of char and just enough oak to balance out all the sweeter flavors. And it hit on a lot of the more traditional caramel and vanilla notes.
A good indicator of just how much I like a bourbon is how much of the bottle I end up drinking when I first crack it open, and between my father-in-law and myself, this bottle was half emptied just in the first night. I loved this whiskey, and I'm kicking myself for not having tried it sooner. I don't believe I'll be waiting for a sale before I try Batch IV.
Grade: A
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