Smoke Wagon Uncut the Younger Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $50

- 114.44 Proof

- NAS

- Indiana

I have, quite frankly, been an absolute fan of everything that Smoke Wagon has been putting out, from their small batch bourbon to their Uncut & Unfiltered, to their limited releases and store picks, and even recently their bottled in bond rye. Whether it's their whiskey or its sourced, I don't really care.  It's all been really good.

When they announced the release of Uncut the Younger, it just seemed at first like an easy way to piggy-back off the success of Uncut & Unfiltered and release some young stocks to the market. But, as I gave it more thought, given the accessible price and the fact that it's still being released at cask strength, it's well worth taking a shot.

The nose was full of baking spices and fruit. Perhaps I'd attribute the fruit to it being on the younger end, but it immediately reminded me of apple pie. I got not only the baked apple but also notes of cinnamon and even a pie crust note. It also had a light caramel sweetness.  I could have nosed my glass forever with this one.

Right up front I got a nice cinnamon heat on the tip of my tongue, followed immediately by that pie crust note I was getting on the nose.  It was bready, in a sense, but on the sweeter side. I didn't get any apple notes (or any fruit notes for that matter), but instead I got a kind of chocolate hazelnut note, not unlike Nutella, that went so well with the cinnamon and pie crust notes.

It had a sweet and nutty finish that I also really enjoyed, even if it took a bit of a turn from the front-end flavors. It was kind of like candied cashews. It was sweet and soft and nutty, but also had a bit of a toffee note to it.  

I really enjoyed this bottle, far more than I thought I would! This is one that, given its general availability and approachable price, everyone should try. 

Grade: A-