Review #: 221
Description: Rebel Yell Single Barrel: OHLQ Selection #1
Spirit: Bourbon
Background: This is a single barrel from Luxco’s Rebel Yell line of Wheated Bourbon. It was selected by OHLQ, or the Ohio Liquor board. The label says it was barreled on June 17th, 2015 and then this bottle was purchased in 2020 so it is somewhere around 4-5 years old. Unfortunately, the Tiki Santa is not mine, as this picture was provided by the friend that supplied the sample, which was blind tasted and notes submitted before revealing the contents.
Distillery – Undisclosed
Bottler – Luxco
Brand – Rebel Yell
Selection – OHLQ
ABV – 56.5%
Age – NAS
Nose – Pretty bourbon, oak, little bit of apple, roasted corn, there’s a little bit of musty leather and funk
Taste – A little dry, leather and oak, salted and buttered popcorn, very light caramel (this is not very sweet), dark chocolate, sour cherry juice
Finish – Pretty dry, oaky, bitter, pepper, roasted nuts, high dark cacao dark chocolate, heat lingers a good while
Guess: Really wavering between a few things. Definitely bourbon, guessing 55-60% ABV. This is pretty heavy oak so unsure if it’s fairly young or really old. Plus a little funk. Could be Russell’s Reserve? Could be Knob Creek Single Barrel? Going to go with a New Riff Single Barrel though.
Score: 5
Would I buy a bottle? No
Thoughts: This was interesting as there wasn’t a ton of sweetness to it but a lot of oak. I typically like oak but more on the rich side where this was more dry and bitter. Not bad but not my favorite.