Saying it’s not a complex bourbon is not a sleight, rather it’s a nod to whiskies that present as lean, lithe and elegant–which is no small feat for liquid resting 10 years in oak. In a world of double-oaked wood and tannin bombs, this measured approach is much appreciated.
My shifting preferences also point out how delicious and keenly unique every batch of Cellar Aged actually is. And that has me thinking … Maybe that $174.99 price tag isn’t as high as I initially thought.
If you’re curious about how its blending team landed on 92 proof, Rift said she and her colleagues weren’t happy with higher-proof iterations. When samples dipped below 100, it came alive, so they kept proofing it downward.
On the palate, it’s clearly rye whiskey: slightly spicy, appropriately grainy and familiarly minty and dill-y. Its texture is what’s unique: warm, soft and slightly viscous, not at all lean like many ryes.
The nose on this Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye takes me directly to the dump trough where tour guests get to stick their Glencairn glasses directly into the stream of whiskey glug-glug-glugging from the cask.
The nose is a soft blend of caramel corn, cotton candy, mint and a little burnt orange peel: truly pleasant. The palate is bolder with dark caramel, roasted corn, more mint and cherry Lifesaver. Again, quite nice. Nothing to dislike at all.
I’m like any reviewer who immediately wants to dislike celebrity whiskies because most are never good. So, since this one’s actually good, is it because the celebrity wasn’t involved in it at all?
If I were to point to my favorite of the Orphan Barrel line, this would be it. It’s not dry to the point of being acrid or bitterly oaky, which, honestly, is what I expected based on other long-aged Orphan Barrel releases.
On the palate, it’s definitely a rye whiskey. Gentle spice and herbal characters separate it immediately from the sweetness of Old Forester Bourbon. Expectedly, there’s caramel and white chocolate in the mix, but those notes are offset pleasantly with a little mint, some eucalyptus and white pepper.
This one definitely won’t be for everybody, so I highly recommend you test drive it at a well-stocked watering hole first.
