03/19/24
By Rebecca Herman McBrayer
Wayne and I visited Glenns Creek Distilling 02/23/24 and had a very informative and enjoyable visit with the owner and Master Distiller, David Meier. We selected three of their expressions to take home and they are the subject of our tasting notes for today.
Selected for this Tasting
Glenns Creek OCD #5, SWHEAT, and Cafe Ole. Each is a Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey. Please be sure to read our approach to Tasting Whiskey if you haven’t already.
Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
What is Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey? Bourbon whiskey must be made in the USA from at least 51% corn. It must be distilled at 160 proof or less. It then must be placed into a new, charred oak container at a proof of 125 or below. In addition, it must be free from added substances (except water) and bottled at a minimum of 80 proof. To add “Kentucky” to the label, it must be aged for at least one year in the state of Kentucky. For additional information, read Bourbon Whiskey, part of the Sunday Spirit Notes.
Glenns Creek OCD #5 Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Mashbill – Corn 85%, Rye 10%, Barley Malt 5%
Age – 44 months
Proof – 103.2
Price Paid – $70.00
Color – Medium Amber
Aroma – Cherry and corn are dominate with vanilla and baking spices as well.
Taste – Corn, cherry, vanilla, with light baking spices. It has a lot of viscosity and that which is demonstrated about the legs on the glass as well. The finish is a pleasant warm hug.
Tasted with dried cranberry – A bit less corn but the cherry, vanilla, and baking spices remained.
Tasted with a pecan – Many of the earlier flavors seem to have been muted and replaced with a woodiness, light fruit, cinnamon and a white pepper finish.
Tasted with dark chocolate – Turned up the volume on the baking spices and it has a longer finish that lingers with chocolate.
Notes – Very nice, a lot of complexity.
Glenns Creek SWEAT Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Mashbill – Corn 85%, Wheat 10%, Barley Malt 5%
Age – 42 months
Proof – 100
Price Paid – $68.00
Color – Light Amber
Aroma – Many sweet notes including corn, caramel, and cherry.
Taste – Corn, the nuttiness of marzipan, and cinnamon on the finish.
Tasted with dried cranberry – Removed the corn and other flavor nuances and replaced it with stronger baking spices and light pepper.
Tasted with a pecan – Corn, woodiness, and caramel. Similar to a tub of buttered popcorn that has caramel and chocolate drizzled over it.
Tasted with dark chocolate – Baking spices, a hint of corn at the beginning.
Notes: Enjoyable. Corn forward so it somewhat loses the common wheat flavors.
Glenns Creek Cafe Ole Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Mashbill – Corn 85%, Rye 10%, Roasted Barley Malt 5%
Age – 56 months
Proof – 105.8
Price Paid – $68.00
Color – Darker Amber
Aroma – Coffee, chocolate, rich caramel, butterscotch … like you walked into an amazing coffee shop.
Taste – Coffee, chocolate, a fantastic mocha.
Tasted with dried cranberry – Not appealing as it removes the terrific mocha notes and brings out more of a cherry cough syrup.
Tasted with a pecan – Back to chocolate and coffee with a bit of woodiness.
Tasted with dark chocolate – Chocolate but lost the coffee. Instead, there is cherry, baking spices, and a white pepper finish.
Notes: This would be an awesome after dinner drink. You could add it to a nice cup of coffee and top it off with whipped cream.
Final Notes and Discussion
While they are all very good and recommended, our personal preference order would be: Cafe Ole, OCD #5, and SWEAT. The first two are somewhat of a toss up but the Cafe Ole edged to the front due to its uniqueness.
The SWEAT is a very nice bourbon. Since it is so corn forward, the wheat takes a bit of a back seat. Love it as a bourbon but it wouldn’t rank high for us in the specific wheated bourbon category.
OCD #5 is terrific. Good level of complexity, excellent flavor profile, very enjoyable.
The Cafe Ole is phenomenal. It is complex with the coffee mocha nuances. It would make a great alternative for an after dinner drink if you didn’t want to have coffee, brandy, or even dessert after dinner. A neat pour of this would be fantastic.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Photos by Rebecca Herman McBrayer
NOTE: The bourbons in this review were purchased by us. We were not compensated by the spirit producer for this review. This is simply our opinion based on what we tasted on this day. Please drink responsibly.
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