Never Say Die Rye Whiskey

I’d like to thank the producer for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

It was almost three months ago, to the day, that we looked at the Small Batch Bourbon from Never Say Die and gave away a branded winter hat to a lucky reader. The producer of that bourbon appreciated the giveaway enough that he not only sent a new hat to replace the one I gave away but also sent a bottle of their Rye whiskey as well. Now, as it was only three months ago, I’m not going to drill down into their company history again. But here is a quick overview of the life of the whiskey we are talking about tonight.

  • A distillery in Kentucky distilled a mash bill of 56% Rye, 33% Corn, and 11% Malted Barley using a sweet mash process.

  • That distillery ages the whiskey in new charred oak barrels for five years.

  • The whiskey is then shipped across the ocean to England, getting nice and agitated while being exposed to the sea air during the crossing.

  • The whiskey is then aged further in Derbyshire, England, before being bottled at 52.5% ABV. A small portion of that whiskey then comes back to the US to be sold online by Seelbach’s.

  • I drink a bit of that whiskey.

I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate once again that this came from Wilderness Trail Distillery. Wilderness Trail uses a sweet mash process and the exact same mashbill for their rye, so I think that metaphorical limb I crawled out on is pretty sturdy.

So now that you’ve got a quick overview of the whiskey and some speculation as to its provenance, let’s dig in.

Never Say Die Rye Whiskey

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided at no charge for review purposes. A 700 mL bottle can be purchased online at Seelbach's for $84.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.07

Nose: Floral mint, cardamom, cherry, caramel, oak, and cocoa.

Mouth: Spicy and sweet with notes of cinnamon, red fruit, honey, cardamon, and oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium. Sweet and vibrant notes of cinnamon, cardamom, honey, bubblegum and mint.

Thoughts: The nose is complex and ever-changing. The mouth is spicy and sweet, and the finish explodes with flavor upon swallowing. Overall, I like this, and even though $6 per pour is more than I’d like to spend on a rye whiskey, I will certainly enjoy the rest of the bottle. I tend to use ryes in cocktails more often than I drink them neat, though, so I don’t usually tend to spend a premium on them.

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Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish

I’d like to thank Byrne PR and Lux Row Distillery for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

I have a very short list of what I look for in a bourbon.

  1. Inexpensive.

  2. Rich mouthfeel.

  3. Full-flavored.

  4. Spicy.

  5. Sweet.

  6. Inexpensive.

My wife and I are very frugal people, but don’t mistake that for being cheap. My hobbies are whiskey and vinyl records, for goodness sake. No, we are frugal. We consider where our money is being spent and if we are spending it appropriately. We will buy expensive items, but only if our research shows that those items are worth the extra cost. It’s a holdover from growing up in poverty and spending the first twenty years of our relationship trying to learn how to climb out (hint: luck was more important than hard work…though both were necessary).

That’s one of the reasons I love getting samples from Lux Row. Not only are they usually delicious, but they are normally priced well enough that I don’t feel guilty or feel like I’m bragging too much when I recommend them. Sure, they make some very tasty high-priced bourbons. But they also have delicious ones that won’t cause you to choose between a bottle of whiskey or paying your electric bill on time.

A case in point is tonight’s Port Wine cask-finished bourbon. Its suggested retail price is $35. In today’s whiskey market, that’s almost bottom-shelf pricing. I exaggerate, but not by much. In fact, whiskey prices have risen so much since I started this site that I continuously need to reassess if I keep it going (I started it with what I thought was an obscene limit of $80 per month…don’t ask what I spent last year). This is why I am incredibly thankful to the readers who tip me a coffee, buy merch, or even just comment and interact.

So, let’s get back to this reasonably priced bourbon, shall we? This is the standard Ezra Brooks mash bill of 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley, aged and finished for an additional six months in Port wine casks before being bottled at 99 proof. Here is what the producer has to say about it:

“We created Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish for bourbon fans looking for an elevated taste profile and unique flavor option,” said Eric Winter, Ezra Brooks brand manager. “Lux Row Master Distiller John Rempe was intrigued by the juxtaposition of ryed bourbon’s spicy flavor profile and the sweeter, dark fruit notes often found in port wines.”

Now, the part we’ve all been waiting for: let’s dig in.

Ezra Brooks 99 Port Wine Cask Finish

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent by the producer at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $34.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.33

Details: 49.5% ABV. Mash Bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. Secondary aging in port wine cask for six months.

Nose: Cinnamon, raspberry, black tea, and hints of rose petals and oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon candies, caramel, chocolate, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth with notes of Big Red Gum, caramel, floral mint, and oak.

Thoughts: This is quite tasty. It's nice and spicy, so if that isn't your thing, it plays nicely with a splash of water. Water tames some of the spice but also dulls the finish a bit, so to each their own on this point. It has nice oak, cinnamon, and lovely floral and red fruit notes. This is pretty damn good. I like it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Rolling Rooster Bourbon

I’d like to thank Shore Fire Media for sending over this sample with no strings attached.

St. Augustine of Hippo is one of the last big Roman Religious Philosophers of a united Roman Empire. During his lifetime, the Western Roman Empire collapsed during the so-called Fall of Rome. He was extremely influential in the development of Western Catholic Christianity and its many, many offspring. As both a Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) saint, he has a Feast Day in his honor each year. For the oh-so-Catholic Spanish explorers, that would be on the 28th of August each year (the date is different for those who follow Eastern Orthodoxy).

None of that has more than a passing relationship to tonight’s bourbon except as an origin of the name of the distillery that produced tonight’s Bourbon. But since I am a Roman history buff (and, more specifically, an Eastern Roman/Byzantine history buff), I take all the opportunities I can to bring it up. I am literally the recent meme about how often a man thinks of the Roman Empire.

St. Augustine Distillery is located in St. Augustine, Florida, the second oldest city of European origin in a United States territory (the oldest being San Juan, PR). It was named because the Spanish explorer who founded the city did so shortly after sighting the land that would become Florida on St. Augustine’s Feast Day in 1565.

I’ve driven through St. Augustine on my first, and probably last, road trip to the Florida Keys. That is a very long drive from Minnesota. It was a lovely city that I never saw much of as I was having a massive anxiety attack and could not bring myself to stop. I know that I drove past a beautiful old Spanish fort/United States National Monument while in the city. This means I could have possibly driven right past the building where the distillery is currently. It was a while ago, so I really don’t remember much, especially with the anxiety attack.

St. Augustine Distillery makes bourbon, rum, gin and vodka. They made tonight’s bourbon as a collaboration with musical artist J.J. Grey of Jacksonville, Florida. Quoting from the press release:

Inspired by Grey's deep-rooted connection to the South and his love for the soulful flavors of home, Rolling Rooster is a bourbon that personifies the spirit of Southern comfort. "Warm and fuzzy at the top, with a tiny hint of cocoa before it spreads out wide across the palate," Grey described, "No matter how far I travel, it always brings me back home." Richard deMontmollin, VP of Production at St. Augustine Distillery, echoed Grey's sentiments, stating, "When I was asked if we could create a bourbon with JJ Grey, I was over the moon. JJ brought the soul, we brought the juice, and it's all in perfect harmony." 

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Rolling Rooster Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me at no charge by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $100 per bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.67

Details: 51% ABV. Release number 1. Bottle 0526. According to the PR Agency, all of the bourbon used in this project was at least four years old.

Nose: Dried grains, orange zest, black tea, and smoky oak.

Mouth: Cinnamon, black tea, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warm. Notes of cinnamon, mint, dried grains, and black tea.

Thoughts: Have you ever noticed how sometimes you taste a really great wine or bourbon in the tasting room, and once you get it home, you are less happy with it? The ambiance of the tasting room affects your perception and enjoyment of what you are tasting. The same goes for great conversation with friends. Well, I have a feeling that this bourbon would be one of those that I really like at the distillery. However, at home with my wife, doing a structured tasting, I’m neutral on it. There are no obvious flaws, but it just doesn’t align with my palate. There is a lot going on in here. It is full of flavor and has a lot of things to like, but the flavor profile just isn't for me. I'm not a fan of strong, unsweetened black tea, which this has in spades. I also don’t prefer grain-forward bourbons, and this is one. That said, I couldn’t fault anyone else for absolutely loving it if that is a flavor profile that works for them. Hence, the neutral rating: this bourbon’s not for me, but it might be for you.

Though it isn’t supposed to be released until late May, the first batch of this product has already sold out during pre-order. One thing music fans and craft distillery fans have in common is that they are both great at supporting those they love. So, if you’d like to sign up for information on the release of a second batch, you can do so here: www.jjgrey.com/rollingrooster.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Coppercraft Straight Bourbon Whiskey

I’d like to thanks CraftCo and their PR team for sending me this sample with no strings attached.

I know it doesn’t seem like it from the outside, but I don’t accept every sample request that comes my way. I run everything through a filter of “Will anyone be interested in this?” before I say yes to an offer of samples. Most of the ones I turn down are regional craft distilleries that don’t have a wide distribution or are just another bourbon that was “Distilled in Indiana.” The draw of a sample isn’t the free whiskey—don’t get me wrong, that is a nice perk—but instead, the idea that I can give some insight into things that you guys might be searching for.

That’s how this one ended up on the “yes” pile. Sure, it might be “Distilled in Indiana,” but it was being pushed by a big PR agency. And I know this one does a pretty decent job of getting the word out to people. So, it is my guess that you guys have been or will be seeing this brand pop up on your feeds. You might even be searching Google looking for a review to see if it is any good. And so it makes sense for me, helpful dude that I am, to let you know if I like it and if it is worth the asking price.

So let’s get into it, shall we?

Coppercraft is a craft distillery in Holland, Michigan, a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was founded in 2012 and produces Gin, Vodka, Applejack, Rum, sourced Bourbon, and a Rye that is a blend of sourced whiskey and its own in-house distilled rye. Of those, the Rye and the Applejack are most interesting to me. And as that rye looks to be distributed here in Minnesota, I’m sure you will be seeing it show up here in the future.

But we are looking at the bourbon tonight. According to the Coppercraft website, this is a blend of four- and nine-year-old Indiana bourbons that are then left to mingle in a barrel for three additional months before bottling. This is an interesting idea, but an idea will only get you so far, so let’s see how it tastes.

Coppercraft Straight Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $49.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33

Details: 48.5% ABV

Nose: Red fruit, oak, caramel, and vanilla.

Mouth: Cinnamon, red fruits, caramel, vanilla, and oak.

Finish: Warm and medium to long. Notes of leather, cinnamon, caramel, and oak.

Thoughts: This is pretty damn good. I expected as much when I saw" Distilled in Indiana” on the label, but it is always nice to have confirmation. At $50 per bottle, you will need to decide for yourself if a sourced whiskey is worth that to you. I can tell you that it has a pretty stereotypical" Bourbon" flavor profile, which is nice. That’s the profile I fell in love with when I got into bourbon and the one I turn to most often when I buy bottles that aren’t just for website content. I like it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon, Aged 7 Years

I’d like to thank Smooth Ambler and their PR folks for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Hey there, folks! So we are looking at a bourbon put out by a distillery in West Virginia tonight. I don’t have a lot to say about West Virginia, personally. I’ve driven through a few times, stopped at a few places, and spent the night at a couple of others. It is beautiful country, but the last time I spent the night there, the hotel advised me not to drink the water and to limit showers to the shortest duration possible due to pollution in the city’s water supply. And, well, that basically sums up my thoughts on West Virginia.

Luckily for us, this bourbon comes from Indiana. They don’t say which distillery in Indiana, but since it uses the same Mashbill as MGP’s “36% Rye” bourbon, I think we can safely assume the origin. Which is great, because MGP makes very good boubon.

Smooth Ambler distills their own whiskey as well, but they had breakout success with their curated line of Old Scout transparently-sourced bourbons and ryes back in the early 2010s. And that Old Scout line continues today with the reintroduction of a seven-year-old expression of Old Scout Bourbon. Available in stores throughout CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MD, MI, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, WI, and of course, WV, this bottle’s suggested retail price is about $65 and is bottled at 99° proof. According to the Smooth Ambler website:

When we started “scouting” for whiskey in 2011, we wanted to find worthy whiskey we enjoyed, bring it to West Virginia, and blend and bottle alongside the whiskey we made at home. In our humble (*cough*) opinion, Old Scout became the standard for sourcing whiskey by being transparent, bottling deliciousness, and sharing it widely. Well, it turns out folks liked it, and we’re very proud we get to keep the practice going. That’s exactly what led us to the legendary Old Scout 7.

So, since we haven’t looked at anything from Smooth Ambler in a while, let’s see if they still have their sourcing and blending chops, shall we?

Smooth Ambler Old Scout Bourbon, Aged 7 Years

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent by the producer at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $64.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.33

Details: Distilled in Indiana. 7 years old. 49.5% ABV. Non-chill filtered. Mashbill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, and 4% Malted Barley.

Nose: Oak, brown sugar, bubble sum, and a touch of spearmint.

Mouth: Spicy and oaky with notes of cinnamon, vanilla, almond, and oak.

Finish: The flavor blossoms immediately upon swallowing. It is medium to long and warm, with notes of bubblegum, cinnamon, vanilla, and oak.

Thoughts: Dry and oaky in the mouth. Vibrant and flavorful on the finish. This bourbon is “saved” by the finish. The mouth is nice enough but unremarkable. The finish, however, is where this shines. Which, if I had my choice, is where I'd want it to be. I spend more time with the finish when I drink whiskey than I do with the mouth. All in all, this is a really good whiskey. I like it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Rebel 100 6 Years

I’d like to thank Byrne PR and Lux Row Distillery for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

We are still working through the backlog of samples that we received during the brackets, so let’s jump right in.

Just about a month and a half ago, I got a great email from the PR folks who work with Lux Row and MGP. And, I LOVE this email. Not wasting my time or theirs, it just said:

Rebel 100 / 6 Years / 60 bucks. Launches today. Details attached.

And in the spirit of that announcement email, let’s keep this short. Because, really, there isn’t much more to be said about this new, year-round addition to the Rebel portfolio. It’s Rebel 100 bourbon, just a bit older. Most of the information pertinent to the juice inside the bottle is right there in the name. Rebel Bourbon. 100° proof. Aged 6 Years. About the only thing I can add that isn’t in the name is that Rebel is, and always has been, a wheated bourbon going back to its initial launch as part of the Stitzel-Weller portfolio. But the fact that it’s a wheated bourbon is also on the label. Soooo…

Let’s just dig into the review proper, shall we?

Rebel 100 6 Year Old Bourbon

Purchase Info: This sample was provided by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $59.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.00

Details: 50% ABV. 6 years old. Wheated mashbill.

Nose: Cinnamon, mint, almond, and oak.

Mouth: Spicy cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, almond, and oak.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Follows the mouth with notes of cinnamon, caramel, and a bitter oak.

Thoughts: This is very good. If you like Rebel 100, the six-year-old version will be right up your alley. As a wheated bourbon, the oak is a bit more pronounced than if it were a bourbon that used rye as a flavoring grain, which, depending on your oak tolerance, may be a positive or a negative. Overall, I'm a fan. I usually prefer bourbon that uses rye as the flavoring grain, but this one is darn tasty. It's oak-forward but not too oak-forward. I’ll be picking up a full bottle should I see it.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Penelope Cooper Series: Rio

I’d like to thank ByrnePR and Penelope Bourbon for providing this review sample with no strings attached.

Her name is Rio, and she dances on the sand
Just like that river twisting through a dusty land
And when she shines, she really shows you all she can
Oh, Rio, Rio, dance across the Rio Grande
—Chorus to Rio by Duran Duran, 1982

I am highly suggestable to earworms. It can take as little as two words out of a 1980s sitcom theme song to have me singing it for the next two weeks. And for some reason, the more annoyed I would be by the song, the easier it seems to lodge itself in my brain. I sometimes even get two earworms competing in my brain and I hear first one and then the other.

I really hate earworms. My wife thinks it is funny to trigger them in me. Thank goodness she has other, more redeeming qualities.

As you might guess from the fact that I placed the chorus at the beginning of the post, Rio by Duran Duran has been lodged in my brain all week. It’s not that I particularly dislike the song (or at least I didn’t pre-earworm), but I have been looking at this bottle for the better part of a month, so it was bound to happen. So, to not give the song any more oxygen, let’s move on to the whiskey.

Rio is the latest release in Penelope Bourbon’s Cooper Series. We looked at another a couple of months ago when we looked at the Tokaji Cask Finish Rye. Similar to that, this is a non-chill filtered and barrel-finished whiskey. In this case, it used Penelope’s blended four-grain mash bill of 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye, and 3% malted barley, and the bourbon was finished in two barrels. One that previously contained honey and one that was made of Amburana, a Brazilian hardwood.

Here’s what the company has to say about this edition of Rio:

“Our latest Rio release is a party in a bottle – the finishes complement each other so well, resulting in a fun and surprising mix of flavors,” said Michael Paladini, founder of Penelope Bourbon. “This year’s release delivers a dessert sweetness combined with a nice baking spice on the finish. It's a fantastic and different combination of rich and sweet, with depth.”

I have to agree. This thing is so sweet that I honestly could have been convinced it was a liqueur. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get into the tasting notes.

Penelope Cooper Series: Rio

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $89.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $6.00

Details: 49% ABV. Cask-finished in both honey barrels and Brazilian hardwood casks. Mash bill: 74% corn, 16% wheat, 7% rye and 3% malted barley.

Nose: Honey forward with toffee and a savory herbal note.

Mouth: Sweet with a thick mouthfeel. Notes of honey, cinnamon, anise, and other baking spices.

Finish: Vibrant, spicy, and sweet. Notes of honey, spicy cinnamon, caramel, anise, and cocoa.

Thoughts: Very tasty, especially if you are a fan of honey like I am. To me, this is like a pre-mixed old-fashioned or a spiced baked good. Very sweet with lots of baking spice. Don't grab this if you want a stereotypical bourbon. But if you want something a bit different, I'd highly recommend this one.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.