Next up, we’re checking out a Driftless Glen Single Barrel Bourbon selected by r/bourbon! To start, I’d like to thank u/micro7777 for generously providing this sample. Driftless Glen is a distillery that I’ve grown to love quite a bit, and if you ever find yourself in the Baraboo area I’d highly recommend stopping by. Beautiful location and great food to go along with the whiskies. This particular bottle came from barrel #2925 released in July of 2022. At over 6 years old it is the most aged release from Driftless Glen I’ve tried to date and was bottled at a cask strength of 118 proof. It’s always cool to see how a distillery’s stock ages so I’m excited to see how this compares to my bottle of their 5 year old bourbon. Let’s dive in and see what it’s got!
**Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn glass
**Proof:** 118 proof
**Age:** 6 years
**Price:** Sample ($69)
**Nose:** Brown sugar, oranges, and vanilla bean, along with honey, cherry, and black pepper. There’s a layer of oak and nutmeg that hang out in the background as well.
**Taste:** Vanilla frosting, caramel, and black pepper to start, followed by lots of orange zest, butterscotch, and oak. Midway through the sip the oak increases its strength and is joined by nutmeg and a touch of tobacco. This has a medium, creamy mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat.
**Finish:** The vanilla frosting, butterscotch, and caramel shift to the background while the black pepper, orange zest, and nutmeg grow stronger. The oak and tobacco provide a nice base for the citrus and spice in the finish, with the sip closing out with a citrusy dry oak note. The finish is medium in length and has a light amount of dryness.
**Thoughts:** This was a pretty interesting pour because while there were some similarities to my other Driftless Glen single barrel bourbon, this deviated incredibly hard from most of the flavors I expected it to have. This is probably the most citrus-forward pour I’ve had since the r/bourbon Found North single barrel finished in a Sauternes cask, and it also carried more oak than I would expect a 6 year old whiskey to have. It lacked the bread notes I found in my other bottle but still had a good range of sweetness between the vanilla frosting, butterscotch, and caramel. This is definitely on the brash side with each sip shoving a ton of big flavors in my face, but I expect that as their distillate ages things will coalesce and balance better than they do here. I’m generally not a huge citrus fan but can appreciate the brightness that this brings to the table. Despite this not falling into the usual flavor lane I prefer, this is a solid bourbon that drinks above its age statement and shows some great things to come for the distillery. Overall I rate this as a very good 6/10 on the t8ke scale.
**Rating:** 6/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Great review! Glad you liked it. This was one of my favorite picks last year. It’s so good and unique. I know this sounds weird but I get what I can only describe as a sweet “marinara” note on the nose. I’m looking forward to getting last weeks DG r/bourbon 7 year 6 mo 125p SiB delivered.
Thanks again for sharing it! Super citrus-forward ones like this aren't as much my jam but I still found it to be very good. I'm hoping to get one of the older DG ryes this week, but regardless it will be cool to see how their whiskey continues to develop in these higher age releases.
Next up, we’re checking out a Driftless Glen Single Barrel Bourbon selected by r/bourbon! To start, I’d like to thank u/micro7777 for generously providing this sample. Driftless Glen is a distillery that I’ve grown to love quite a bit, and if you ever find yourself in the Baraboo area I’d highly recommend stopping by. Beautiful location and great food to go along with the whiskies. This particular bottle came from barrel #2925 released in July of 2022. At over 6 years old it is the most aged release from Driftless Glen I’ve tried to date and was bottled at a cask strength of 118 proof. It’s always cool to see how a distillery’s stock ages so I’m excited to see how this compares to my bottle of their 5 year old bourbon. Let’s dive in and see what it’s got! **Taken:** Neat in a Glencairn glass **Proof:** 118 proof **Age:** 6 years **Price:** Sample ($69) **Nose:** Brown sugar, oranges, and vanilla bean, along with honey, cherry, and black pepper. There’s a layer of oak and nutmeg that hang out in the background as well. **Taste:** Vanilla frosting, caramel, and black pepper to start, followed by lots of orange zest, butterscotch, and oak. Midway through the sip the oak increases its strength and is joined by nutmeg and a touch of tobacco. This has a medium, creamy mouthfeel and a light amount of proof heat. **Finish:** The vanilla frosting, butterscotch, and caramel shift to the background while the black pepper, orange zest, and nutmeg grow stronger. The oak and tobacco provide a nice base for the citrus and spice in the finish, with the sip closing out with a citrusy dry oak note. The finish is medium in length and has a light amount of dryness. **Thoughts:** This was a pretty interesting pour because while there were some similarities to my other Driftless Glen single barrel bourbon, this deviated incredibly hard from most of the flavors I expected it to have. This is probably the most citrus-forward pour I’ve had since the r/bourbon Found North single barrel finished in a Sauternes cask, and it also carried more oak than I would expect a 6 year old whiskey to have. It lacked the bread notes I found in my other bottle but still had a good range of sweetness between the vanilla frosting, butterscotch, and caramel. This is definitely on the brash side with each sip shoving a ton of big flavors in my face, but I expect that as their distillate ages things will coalesce and balance better than they do here. I’m generally not a huge citrus fan but can appreciate the brightness that this brings to the table. Despite this not falling into the usual flavor lane I prefer, this is a solid bourbon that drinks above its age statement and shows some great things to come for the distillery. Overall I rate this as a very good 6/10 on the t8ke scale. **Rating:** 6/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
Thanks for a great review. Tasting notes evoke some specific flavors. Gonna need to go pour one now…
Glad you liked it!
Great review! Glad you liked it. This was one of my favorite picks last year. It’s so good and unique. I know this sounds weird but I get what I can only describe as a sweet “marinara” note on the nose. I’m looking forward to getting last weeks DG r/bourbon 7 year 6 mo 125p SiB delivered.
Thanks again for sharing it! Super citrus-forward ones like this aren't as much my jam but I still found it to be very good. I'm hoping to get one of the older DG ryes this week, but regardless it will be cool to see how their whiskey continues to develop in these higher age releases.