Lux Row Distiller's Collection Binny's Private Select Rebel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

VITALS:

- $35

- 113 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel No. 6819639

- Kentucky

Binny's got quite a run of Lux Row single barrel store picks a while back, having gotten multiple barrels from Rebel, Ezra Brooks and Yellowstone. The best part about it was that they were at pretty good prices (a 113 proof single barrel pick for $35 is pretty impossible to pass up), and there were plenty of bottles to go around, so seemingly nobody missed out.

Despite that I'm not a wheated bourbon junkie as some people are, when I saw the row of these picks lining the shelf, I immediately grabbed one. Looking back on this and on the Ezra Brooks pick that I previously enjoyed, I really should have grabbed a few more of these. All single barrels means each one is going to be unique, and have I mentioned the price?!?  For that price, my feeling was that even if I get something good but not great, still a value.

On the nose I got a soft, pillowy nougat note, like the inside of a 3 Musketeers bar. I also got a certain sweet but nutty note, like honey roasted peanuts. It had traditional toffee and brown sugar notes as well, along with a bit of burnt sugar to it. It smelled good, but nothing that really stood out to me.

On my first sip, it was immediately clear that this was a very toffee-forward bourbon, with a pronounced sweetness to it. However, kind of like the nose, it had a certain salt element to it as well that provided a bit of balance. It came across a bit like salted caramel, but with some of that burnt sugar that I was getting from the nose.

Part way through it developed a little bit of spice, but it was sort of a tangy spice, like a light anise note along with some amaretto flavors. That nuttiness still stuck around, but any peanut notes came more in the form of rich almond flavors. It even had a bit of an old fashioned flavor to it, with a nice mix of that cherry and muddled orange peel to it.

The finish on this was pretty long and flavorful, and honestly my favorite part of this whiskey. I got that almond flavor, but it came across as more of a toasted almond, and that was all in a layer of toffee that just refused to go away.

This was a really good bourbon. I prefer a spicier versus a sweeter bourbon, but nonetheless I really liked this, especially for the price! Wheated bourbon lovers should be jumping all over these when they see them, because it has a good mix of sweet and heat.

Grade: B+