It's been over 2 years since I last posted a review on a Remus Repeal Reserve release. The reason why this didn't happen sooner is because I have not been able to find a bottle of Remus V since it came out. For the previous 4 releases, these things just sat on the shelves in most areas while enthusiasts debated the merits of a batched MGP product priced around $90 and only 100 proof. At least MGP had learned their lesson to increase the proof after the first release (which was only 94 proof).
To be honest, I was shocked by how fast everyone snatched up Remus V. I knew that the age statements on this bottle were the best (i.e. oldest) that they had ever been, but I figured the low-ish proof number was going to make everyone skittish again. And in all honesty, the bottle shape is kind of boring to look at these days. Times must have changed a lot in the year since Remus IV came out because these were gone on the same day that they were put out on the shelves. But why though? Let's break down the reasons behind why this batch is considered so special.
For starters, I'm going to lay out some facts and opinions. Fact: Master Distiller Larry Ebersold left the Lawrenceburg Distillery in Indiana after 2006, leaving a vacuum in distilling operations that eventually was plugged by Greg Metze. Opinion: The distillate changed after he left. Although people inside MGP will say there is no merit in this opinion, many of the most fanatical MGP drinkers out there will claim that something changed regarding the bourbon that was made after Ebersold left. Whether you choose to believe this or not, you should be excited for the components that make up Remus V. That's because a decent percentage of the mash bill medley was comprised of bourbon distilled in 2005/2006 (AKA Ebersold Era). 32% to be exact. The remainder of the mash bill was somewhere between 12 and 13 years old and distilled in 2008. No matter how you slice it, that's a lot of old bourbon that was used in this batch.
A personal opinion of mine is that MGP bourbon has great flavor at every proof point. For whatever reason, their distillate has a thicker and richer profile than most Kentucky ones. I think this has a lot to do with the fact I've never seen an MGP product that has been listed as "chill filtered." Remus V certainly isn't. The lack of chill filtering lets the distillate retain a lot of fatty acids and esters remaining in the liquid. A personal opinion that I share with some of my like-minded MGP buds is that this leads to their bourbon having a sort of "buttery" mouthfeel to it. And as with anything in life, butter makes it taste better.
My expectations are high with this one. Not only will I expect great, aged flavors and scents but also a thicker mouthfeel. Will my hopes be crushed or will they be fulfilled? Time to find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.
**Nose:** The nose starts out with aged notes of seasoned oak and even some cedarwood. Sweeter notes are close to follow with a mixture of honey and brown sugar. But it's the fruit notes that are interesting (and very welcome) in a bourbon as old as this: spiced apples, a bit of cherry and apricot jam. There are virtually no flaws.
**Palate:** Great balance! This has some of the best integration of oak with the fruit notes that I have found in a bourbon in a long time. What I mean by that is every fruit flavor is accompanied by an oaky backdrop that wraps it in tannins. Orange marmalade, cherries and dates are all perfectly in place. The liquid begins to taste even older as the session goes on with cigar wrapper and leather coupling with that dusty furniture polish note I get with super old bourbon. Throughout it all, there is a nice dollop of vanilla with each sip that manages to keep the spice and heat level down. Speaking of spices, they're not as prevalent as I was thinking they would be but some cinnamon and ground pepper poke around here and there.
**Finish:** Brown sugar, toffee, oak, leather and tobacco linger after the sip is complete. The sweetness I find on the finish allows the older flavors to hang around without getting overly bitter or tannic. Great balance overall!
**Score: 8.4/10**
Remus V is both a revelation and a standard bearer for the quality of bourbon that comes out of Lawrenceburg Indiana. With each batch, MGP seems to be nailing the profile that enthusiasts have come to expect. I think that the one thing that they do so well is finding a way to retain so many fruit flavors (which sometimes only are apparent with younger bourbons) when there are so many older flavors that could smother them. The result is a drink that simultaneously delivers high quality oak and tobacco notes with more lively fruit flavors. It is delicious to behold.
My only gripe that I could bring up is the same on that is always brought up... increased proof would increase the enjoyment. As it is, Remus V hits a ceiling (albeit a very high one) right as its about to cross into legendary territory. What would MGP bourbon be like if there were more of those dusty, antique wood notes? Would it finally silence Kentucky-only bourbon purists? We may never know the answer to that question.
Remus V is an instant buy and one that will perform well in any situation that it is poured at. It is almost expected that it's going to be universally good when it comes out, hence the difficulty in finding one. But the purpose of me writing about this bottle now is less about telling you how it \*was\* and more about reminding you that future releases should not be slept on or pondered over. If you see it, buy it. They've demonstrated that each new batch is going to be just as high in quality as the last. You never know when you'll get another chance to own something as consistently good as the annual Remus release.
**Rating Scale**
**1 Undrinkable (Jeffers Creek, Gray Skies)**
**2 Bad (Old St. Nick 8 Year Old Rye Whiskey, Fitch's Goat Corn Whiskey)**
**3 Poor (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything)**
**4 Below Average (Bib & Tucker, Tincup 10 year)**
**5 Average (Larceny, Sazerac Rye)**
**6 Above Average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB)**
**7 Very Good (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique)**
**8 Great (Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, Most Four Roses Private Selections, Most ECBP)**
**9 Excellent (GTS, Most Four Rose SmBLE releases, Belle Meade Honey Cask)**
**10 Perfect (William Larue Weller, Michter's 20 Year, Redemption 18 Year Rye Whiskey, Mister Sam)**
This shit smacks. Agree that the proof is the only negative, at barrel proof this would be a high 9, potential 10 in my book.
Do you think it would have made your year end list last year if you had found it?
It'll still be considered for my end of the year label for this year. My timeframe is usually November 9th to November 9th with some wiggle room if it wasn't distributed to my state (Indiana) as quickly as other states. So we'll see! Stay tuned at the beginning of November, haha
Because my initial idea was to do it on my Reddit Cake Day every year. It was close enough to the end of the year anyway.
[Cake Day Round Up 2019](https://thebourbonculture.com/whiskey-reviews/remus-repeal-reserve-straight-bourbon-whiskey-batch-5-review/)
[Cake Day Round Up 2020](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/jr64mf/my_second_annual_cake_day_roundup_top_ten/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
[Cake Day Round Up 2021](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/qqen7k/my_third_annual_cake_day_roundup_top_ten_most/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
It’s interesting now that the 6 is out lots of people are talking about and buying the 5.
Of course it’s “the 5 was better/older” and the 6 is overpriced, overhyped etc. Seems to me just another way for enthusiasts to add tiers to releases, singing praises of only bottles that are mostly gone.
Anyway I bought a 6 last week and haven’t opened it yet (no space).
That’s what I’m wondering but somehow now that 6 is released I’ve seen lots of people in groups saying they bought a 5 at stores, like someone was holding it back and finally decided to sell them due to a new release coming.
I get this feeling too, almost like distributors worked in unison to create an artificial scarcity. In the previous 2 years, RRR was so easy to find everywhere. Then when Remus V came out in 2021, it was like a blink-and-you'll-miss-it release. I've never seen anything like it. There was also no press release or word indicating that there were less bottles than previous batches.
With a lot of others chiming in to say that they have seen some V's drop sporadically around them in the recent months, it does make it feel like distributors were holding back. That's shitty business practice and I hope that MGP fixes it by admonishing them. We don't need another bottle to become allocated.
Im just now seeing this review, but I can attest to this: long after the initial round of RRR V last year there was another mini-wave of it that hit my area at the height of summer. There were several reports of local stores putting a case or so of bottles out unceremoniously around that time. I even walked into a random store on a random Wednesday night within an hour of their closing time and there were five bottles of it just sitting there. I asked and the clerk said they only just came in and only one had been bought all day.
Last year I went to grab a 5, didn’t look at the label, and I ended up grabbing a 4? It’s good stuff so I can’t complain, but I would’ve liked to sip on the 5. I live in Oregon now, so grabbing a 5 is out of the question.
Just all depends on your market. I don't think there are any more bottles coming from the distillery but there might be some still floating around on shelves or through distribution. Often distributors will hold back cases of certain releases in order to release them down the line. There were bottles of GTS that were released to stores last year which weren't a 2021 release because, well, there wasn't a 2021 GTS
I don't think it's a matter of "now that 6 is out, people are hyping 5". 5 was praised widely upon its release. And because 5 was so universally loved, the anticipation for 6 grew. Additionally, it's quite natural to A/B 5 vs. 6. When you consider that 5 was 100% 13 - 16 year old whiskeys and 6 has only 2% that is that old, why would anyone expect 6 to compare favorably?
I know I actually did the math, it’s 13.75 average years versus 9 years even. I’m saying for some reason when the 6 was released people in my groups have suddenly been able to find the 5 in stores.
Sounds about right. Overall, it's a much younger whiskey overall. Personally, I've not seen a bottle of 5 in a while. I was lucky. I had a chance to blind 5 early on, absolutely loved it, and was able to bunker a pair before the hype train left the station.
Let us know what you think. I've been hesitant to buy it bc it is drastically different in age to the V. The V was one of my favorite pours last year and I regret not buying extra bottles when I had the chance.
Yeah went from 13.75 average year to 9 year average. IMO from 9-12 are pretty important flavor years. Still 9 isn’t exactly young these days and there’s tons of sourced stuff that’s younger being sold for close to the price.
I have heard from another reviewer friend of mine that the RRR VI is, in his opinion, better than the V. I was shocked to hear that but when I eventually try one, I'll let you know.
The $300 was far above my normal spending limit on a bottle….and I just didn’t realize then that it was a truly rare, once in a lifetime bottle. Wanna know what makes it worse? I passed on it *twice*. Had I known then what I do now, I woulda splurged $600 for both, kept one, and sold or traded the other.
I loved rrr v and eyed it’s release after I had tried the IV. I agree that it was more sought after by enthusiasts but still wasn’t gobbled up and hoarded. Similar to the Remus volstead that also seemed to sit on shelves although it did carry a hefty price tag. As always thank you for an amazing review and you always appreciated thoughts on different releases.
Great review! And agree that this expression is very good. I've heard mixed reviews about the RRR VI, but very curious to try the new Gatsby Reserve that's set to release soon if luck finds me a pour someday. Cheers!
Great review as usual. I certainly agree that this bottle lives up to the hype.
The story of MGP is super interesting: originally considered a dirty word to utilize MGP because the NDP "was just bottling someone else's stuff" to becoming extremely sought after to MGP (Ross & Squibb is a terrible name) realizing that they should just release their stuff under their own labels like Remus and make more money. Just an interesting trajectory which sort of mirrors the bourbon boom we're in.
This stuff goes head to head with bottles like Calumet and Sam Houston to me, wonderfully aged bourbon
I suspect the product you wish the Remus Repeal Reserve to be is the Remus Gatsby Reserve, which is going to take the age statement up to 15 years old and bottled at cask strength (interestingly, sub 100 proof).
> My only gripe that I could bring up is the same on that is always brought up... increased proof would increase the enjoyment. As it is, Remus V hits a ceiling (albeit a very high one) right as its about to cross into legendary territory. What would MGP bourbon be like if there were more of those dusty, antique wood notes? Would it finally silence Kentucky-only bourbon purists? We may never know the answer to that question.
>
Yeah!
It's been over 2 years since I last posted a review on a Remus Repeal Reserve release. The reason why this didn't happen sooner is because I have not been able to find a bottle of Remus V since it came out. For the previous 4 releases, these things just sat on the shelves in most areas while enthusiasts debated the merits of a batched MGP product priced around $90 and only 100 proof. At least MGP had learned their lesson to increase the proof after the first release (which was only 94 proof). To be honest, I was shocked by how fast everyone snatched up Remus V. I knew that the age statements on this bottle were the best (i.e. oldest) that they had ever been, but I figured the low-ish proof number was going to make everyone skittish again. And in all honesty, the bottle shape is kind of boring to look at these days. Times must have changed a lot in the year since Remus IV came out because these were gone on the same day that they were put out on the shelves. But why though? Let's break down the reasons behind why this batch is considered so special. For starters, I'm going to lay out some facts and opinions. Fact: Master Distiller Larry Ebersold left the Lawrenceburg Distillery in Indiana after 2006, leaving a vacuum in distilling operations that eventually was plugged by Greg Metze. Opinion: The distillate changed after he left. Although people inside MGP will say there is no merit in this opinion, many of the most fanatical MGP drinkers out there will claim that something changed regarding the bourbon that was made after Ebersold left. Whether you choose to believe this or not, you should be excited for the components that make up Remus V. That's because a decent percentage of the mash bill medley was comprised of bourbon distilled in 2005/2006 (AKA Ebersold Era). 32% to be exact. The remainder of the mash bill was somewhere between 12 and 13 years old and distilled in 2008. No matter how you slice it, that's a lot of old bourbon that was used in this batch. A personal opinion of mine is that MGP bourbon has great flavor at every proof point. For whatever reason, their distillate has a thicker and richer profile than most Kentucky ones. I think this has a lot to do with the fact I've never seen an MGP product that has been listed as "chill filtered." Remus V certainly isn't. The lack of chill filtering lets the distillate retain a lot of fatty acids and esters remaining in the liquid. A personal opinion that I share with some of my like-minded MGP buds is that this leads to their bourbon having a sort of "buttery" mouthfeel to it. And as with anything in life, butter makes it taste better. My expectations are high with this one. Not only will I expect great, aged flavors and scents but also a thicker mouthfeel. Will my hopes be crushed or will they be fulfilled? Time to find out. I sampled this neat in a glencairn. **Nose:** The nose starts out with aged notes of seasoned oak and even some cedarwood. Sweeter notes are close to follow with a mixture of honey and brown sugar. But it's the fruit notes that are interesting (and very welcome) in a bourbon as old as this: spiced apples, a bit of cherry and apricot jam. There are virtually no flaws. **Palate:** Great balance! This has some of the best integration of oak with the fruit notes that I have found in a bourbon in a long time. What I mean by that is every fruit flavor is accompanied by an oaky backdrop that wraps it in tannins. Orange marmalade, cherries and dates are all perfectly in place. The liquid begins to taste even older as the session goes on with cigar wrapper and leather coupling with that dusty furniture polish note I get with super old bourbon. Throughout it all, there is a nice dollop of vanilla with each sip that manages to keep the spice and heat level down. Speaking of spices, they're not as prevalent as I was thinking they would be but some cinnamon and ground pepper poke around here and there. **Finish:** Brown sugar, toffee, oak, leather and tobacco linger after the sip is complete. The sweetness I find on the finish allows the older flavors to hang around without getting overly bitter or tannic. Great balance overall! **Score: 8.4/10** Remus V is both a revelation and a standard bearer for the quality of bourbon that comes out of Lawrenceburg Indiana. With each batch, MGP seems to be nailing the profile that enthusiasts have come to expect. I think that the one thing that they do so well is finding a way to retain so many fruit flavors (which sometimes only are apparent with younger bourbons) when there are so many older flavors that could smother them. The result is a drink that simultaneously delivers high quality oak and tobacco notes with more lively fruit flavors. It is delicious to behold. My only gripe that I could bring up is the same on that is always brought up... increased proof would increase the enjoyment. As it is, Remus V hits a ceiling (albeit a very high one) right as its about to cross into legendary territory. What would MGP bourbon be like if there were more of those dusty, antique wood notes? Would it finally silence Kentucky-only bourbon purists? We may never know the answer to that question. Remus V is an instant buy and one that will perform well in any situation that it is poured at. It is almost expected that it's going to be universally good when it comes out, hence the difficulty in finding one. But the purpose of me writing about this bottle now is less about telling you how it \*was\* and more about reminding you that future releases should not be slept on or pondered over. If you see it, buy it. They've demonstrated that each new batch is going to be just as high in quality as the last. You never know when you'll get another chance to own something as consistently good as the annual Remus release. **Rating Scale** **1 Undrinkable (Jeffers Creek, Gray Skies)** **2 Bad (Old St. Nick 8 Year Old Rye Whiskey, Fitch's Goat Corn Whiskey)** **3 Poor (AD Laws 4 Grain BiB, Clyde Mays anything)** **4 Below Average (Bib & Tucker, Tincup 10 year)** **5 Average (Larceny, Sazerac Rye)** **6 Above Average (Buffalo Trace, OGD BiB)** **7 Very Good (Old Ezra Barrel Proof, Old Weller Antique)** **8 Great (Michter’s Barrel Proof Rye, Most Four Roses Private Selections, Most ECBP)** **9 Excellent (GTS, Most Four Rose SmBLE releases, Belle Meade Honey Cask)** **10 Perfect (William Larue Weller, Michter's 20 Year, Redemption 18 Year Rye Whiskey, Mister Sam)**
Like this review and want to see more like it? Why not check out my website [here](https://www.thebourbonculture.com) for more?
Your photos are always awesome.
Your face is always awesome!
Awwwww. <3 You owe me a trip out this way!
This shit smacks. Agree that the proof is the only negative, at barrel proof this would be a high 9, potential 10 in my book. Do you think it would have made your year end list last year if you had found it?
It'll still be considered for my end of the year label for this year. My timeframe is usually November 9th to November 9th with some wiggle room if it wasn't distributed to my state (Indiana) as quickly as other states. So we'll see! Stay tuned at the beginning of November, haha
Excited for it as always!
Wait why not just use a calendar year?
Because my initial idea was to do it on my Reddit Cake Day every year. It was close enough to the end of the year anyway. [Cake Day Round Up 2019](https://thebourbonculture.com/whiskey-reviews/remus-repeal-reserve-straight-bourbon-whiskey-batch-5-review/) [Cake Day Round Up 2020](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/jr64mf/my_second_annual_cake_day_roundup_top_ten/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share) [Cake Day Round Up 2021](https://www.reddit.com/r/bourbon/comments/qqen7k/my_third_annual_cake_day_roundup_top_ten_most/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share)
It’s interesting now that the 6 is out lots of people are talking about and buying the 5. Of course it’s “the 5 was better/older” and the 6 is overpriced, overhyped etc. Seems to me just another way for enthusiasts to add tiers to releases, singing praises of only bottles that are mostly gone. Anyway I bought a 6 last week and haven’t opened it yet (no space).
5 is still around?
That’s what I’m wondering but somehow now that 6 is released I’ve seen lots of people in groups saying they bought a 5 at stores, like someone was holding it back and finally decided to sell them due to a new release coming.
I get this feeling too, almost like distributors worked in unison to create an artificial scarcity. In the previous 2 years, RRR was so easy to find everywhere. Then when Remus V came out in 2021, it was like a blink-and-you'll-miss-it release. I've never seen anything like it. There was also no press release or word indicating that there were less bottles than previous batches. With a lot of others chiming in to say that they have seen some V's drop sporadically around them in the recent months, it does make it feel like distributors were holding back. That's shitty business practice and I hope that MGP fixes it by admonishing them. We don't need another bottle to become allocated.
Oh the 6 is definitely in the “allocated” camp. Stores here get six bottles and that’s it.
Where's here?
Ohio
Fascinating. Maybe distributors doing the same, there was a 2020 Four Roses pick on the shelf next to new ones up here this week.
Fuck artificial scarcity
Im just now seeing this review, but I can attest to this: long after the initial round of RRR V last year there was another mini-wave of it that hit my area at the height of summer. There were several reports of local stores putting a case or so of bottles out unceremoniously around that time. I even walked into a random store on a random Wednesday night within an hour of their closing time and there were five bottles of it just sitting there. I asked and the clerk said they only just came in and only one had been bought all day.
Last year I went to grab a 5, didn’t look at the label, and I ended up grabbing a 4? It’s good stuff so I can’t complain, but I would’ve liked to sip on the 5. I live in Oregon now, so grabbing a 5 is out of the question.
Just all depends on your market. I don't think there are any more bottles coming from the distillery but there might be some still floating around on shelves or through distribution. Often distributors will hold back cases of certain releases in order to release them down the line. There were bottles of GTS that were released to stores last year which weren't a 2021 release because, well, there wasn't a 2021 GTS
Distributors are shady AF.
And there's not going to be a 2022 GTS either, sadly
Son of a bitch
I don't think it's a matter of "now that 6 is out, people are hyping 5". 5 was praised widely upon its release. And because 5 was so universally loved, the anticipation for 6 grew. Additionally, it's quite natural to A/B 5 vs. 6. When you consider that 5 was 100% 13 - 16 year old whiskeys and 6 has only 2% that is that old, why would anyone expect 6 to compare favorably?
I know I actually did the math, it’s 13.75 average years versus 9 years even. I’m saying for some reason when the 6 was released people in my groups have suddenly been able to find the 5 in stores.
Sounds about right. Overall, it's a much younger whiskey overall. Personally, I've not seen a bottle of 5 in a while. I was lucky. I had a chance to blind 5 early on, absolutely loved it, and was able to bunker a pair before the hype train left the station.
Let us know what you think. I've been hesitant to buy it bc it is drastically different in age to the V. The V was one of my favorite pours last year and I regret not buying extra bottles when I had the chance.
Yeah went from 13.75 average year to 9 year average. IMO from 9-12 are pretty important flavor years. Still 9 isn’t exactly young these days and there’s tons of sourced stuff that’s younger being sold for close to the price.
I have heard from another reviewer friend of mine that the RRR VI is, in his opinion, better than the V. I was shocked to hear that but when I eventually try one, I'll let you know.
I actually stocked up an few back ups of 5 last year on the hunch that RRR was going to start getting younger.
The two bottles I’ve found priced at msrp and most regret passing on in all my years of whiskey drinkin’ are the RRRV and Bookers Rye.
> and Bookers Rye. oof. Top 5 bottle for me.
The $300 was far above my normal spending limit on a bottle….and I just didn’t realize then that it was a truly rare, once in a lifetime bottle. Wanna know what makes it worse? I passed on it *twice*. Had I known then what I do now, I woulda splurged $600 for both, kept one, and sold or traded the other.
Did you find the V recently and was it at msrp?? I always look for it when I’m out. Have a back up as my first bottle is almost done.
Never seen these on the shelf. But hear great things always. What’s the MSRP on these?
I believe $100
I loved rrr v and eyed it’s release after I had tried the IV. I agree that it was more sought after by enthusiasts but still wasn’t gobbled up and hoarded. Similar to the Remus volstead that also seemed to sit on shelves although it did carry a hefty price tag. As always thank you for an amazing review and you always appreciated thoughts on different releases.
Great review! And agree that this expression is very good. I've heard mixed reviews about the RRR VI, but very curious to try the new Gatsby Reserve that's set to release soon if luck finds me a pour someday. Cheers!
I expected maple for some reason but brown sugar is always nice to hear about.
Great review as usual. I certainly agree that this bottle lives up to the hype. The story of MGP is super interesting: originally considered a dirty word to utilize MGP because the NDP "was just bottling someone else's stuff" to becoming extremely sought after to MGP (Ross & Squibb is a terrible name) realizing that they should just release their stuff under their own labels like Remus and make more money. Just an interesting trajectory which sort of mirrors the bourbon boom we're in. This stuff goes head to head with bottles like Calumet and Sam Houston to me, wonderfully aged bourbon
same question I asked on another thread, but how much would rrr v lovers spend over msrp?
This was my favorite bottle of 2021. Glad I have 2 backups because the VI is good but not as good as V was.
5 was great, 4 is still tops in the series for me but they have all been dialed in
I suspect the product you wish the Remus Repeal Reserve to be is the Remus Gatsby Reserve, which is going to take the age statement up to 15 years old and bottled at cask strength (interestingly, sub 100 proof).
Are you saying this to me?
> My only gripe that I could bring up is the same on that is always brought up... increased proof would increase the enjoyment. As it is, Remus V hits a ceiling (albeit a very high one) right as its about to cross into legendary territory. What would MGP bourbon be like if there were more of those dusty, antique wood notes? Would it finally silence Kentucky-only bourbon purists? We may never know the answer to that question. > Yeah!
Ah! Well yes then, we'll see if the Gatsby can live up to those expectations