On June 9th, 2022 I tried the Western Reserve 4-Year, a blended bourbon from younger barrels as well as older barrels as old as 12 years. Rumors are that this is actually distillate from the George Dickel distillery in Tennessee. It’s a small batch whiskey, and they say that only 3-5 barrels are used for each batch.
I do like the bottle design on this. Although it doesn’t sit well with other bottles on my bar, it’s unique and it does stand out. There’s really no other bottle that looks like this one, and I can appreciate that.
Nose notes: Citrus, caramel, honey, a slight ethanol astringency, rye spice, the nose is slight and timid
Tasting Notes: The mouthfeel on this was kind of thin but somewhat buttery. It’s only 86 proof and the ethanol burn was almost nonexistent. The flavor itself brought a tiny bit of citrus, and strangely, a popcorn note. A little honey and a little salted caramel. Ultimately is was a decent enough pour, and the $40 price tag seems about right for a small batch.
When I added a little water to it, the mouthfeel stayed buttery, and it got a little sweeter, especially with the caramel note which changed from salted caramel to more of a sweeter caramel.
This one would be a decent beginning bourbon for new folks wanting to try something local with its lower proof and decent flavor.
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Cheers!