It has been two thousand five hundred and twenty days since I last reviewed two separate barrels of what was then known as Rebel Yell Single Barrel. Almost seven years. Since then, the brand has lost the “Yell” from its name and has been on a complete tear to improve its offerings' age, proof, and variety. In addition to the original Rebel and ten-year-old single barrel variations, we now get to enjoy Rebel in 100° proof varieties of both bourbon and rye, as well as six-year-old and small-batch bourbon varieties.
I picked this particular bottle up while I was shopping for items for March’s Bracket series. So, I’ve been sitting on it for a while. But I also haven’t even seen this particular bourbon on the shelf since I last reviewed it, so I knew I was going to have to pick it up. I loved it the first time I tried it. Here is what I had to say at the time:
I am really impressed. And even at $50, I think this is worth the money should you have it to spare. For me, this is on the line between really, really like and love. But because I think the price point is just about perfect, I'll just go with I love it.
Let’s find out if I’m still in love with this one.
Rebel Bourbon Single Barrel, 10-Years-Old
Purchase Info: $104.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Total Wine, Chanhassen, MN.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.00
Nose: Oak, cinnamon, caramel, bubblegum.
Mouth: Cinnamon, honey, cherry, mint, and oak.
Finish: Warm and on the longer end of medium length. Notes of oak, cherry, mint, cinnamon and honey.
Thoughts: I'm so happy that I stumbled on this again. It is even better than I remembered. It’s vibrant, and the flavor just blossoms in the mouth as it moves back. It shows a lot of oak without tasting like you are sucking on a barrel stave. In other words, it's delicious! It still straddles the line between love and really like. The first time around, the great price was what bumped it into the love ranking, and now, since the price per drink has doubled in the last seven-ish years, I’m downgrading this to a like rating. It’s very good, but I’m not sure I can recommend anyone spend over $100 on it, especially with all the other great, often barrel-proof, options the company currently offers at a more reasonable price.
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