r/bourbon

The review for this bottle is in the comments below...

​

#Stats-

Distillery: Old Fashioned Copper

Mashbill & Age: Unknown and age is guessed to be between 8-12 years. Why dont they disclose that? ohh well.

Proof: 127.3

Cost: 99$

#Tasting Notes-

Nose: Like Maricchio cherries in a bottle, brown sugar, heavy butterscotch notes like the taste of those candies from your grandma but in smell form, small toffee notes but nothing too strong. Really sweet smell. Its mouthwatering to me.

Palate: Thats a strong first sip. My mouth feels assaulted. The taste is sour oak on the first sip. Maybe Sour Green apples too, A sharp sour like a lime though not a lemon. The oak isnt heavy though. The ethanol reveals itself fairly quickly after that. It fades fairly quick and once the it does its sweetness. Feels like I got tricked by a magician. Dark cherries, plum, some peanuts mixed in there after the sweetness. The taste doesnt change much each sip and its a pretty damn good thing considering its sweet and smooth.

Finish: The finish is not bad. it takes its time dissipating leaving you an after taste of sweetness. I kinda cant describe it. Like I can taste a berry but theres a hint of oak to it in the palate that lingers. Its pretty pleasant. Even some chocolate comes up in the finish imo. The sting of ethanol stays fairly longer than I thought it would. gives you that Kentucky hug in your body but it likes to hug your tongue just as much. It makes me want to go back for more.

Conclusion:

Rating: 8.8

Would I buy it again: Yeah honestly. This was surprisingly good and probably the most wierd (in a good way) bottle i have. I just found it today for msrp and grabbed it immediately because I never find these for anything close. I know these batches can differ but this batch is a hit. I believe this qualifies as batch 14 in 2025 due to the engraving on the bottom.

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.  p

7 | Great | Well above average.  

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.  

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.  

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

Our second bottle from Hard Truth this week is the 100 proof Wheated Bourbon.

The aroma on this pour opens with dense, sweet dried cherries, brown sugar and whiffs of dark chocolate. The is nice and oily, sweet grains, semisweet cherries and lightly grassy. The finish lingers with semisweet grain, dry vanilla and a light oaky tannin.

This was easily my favorite pour of the week. It’s a great Wheated Bourbon that keeps me interested from beginning to the end. I’ll be savoring this bottle until I can try the 7yr (125 proof) version which I anticipate being even better.

By the way, I absolutely love the Cork Stoppers. Each one seems to be unique. I’d love to get the story on these.

Glass: Aged & Ore Sip Glass

Age: 6yrs

Mashbill:

69% Corn

19% Wheat

12% Malted Barley

Casks: New Charred American Oak Barrels

ABV: 50%

Price: $55

Bottle provided by Distillery.

My Rating: 83

Tasting notes below. 👇🏼

🥃

NOSE: Dense, sweet, dried cherries, brown sugar, dark chocolate.

PALATE: Oily, sweet grain, semisweet cherries, lightly grassy.

FINISH: Lingering semisweet grain, dry vanilla, light tannins.

Guide to my personal ratings:

🤢 0-49 = Varying degrees of undrinkable.

🫤 50-59 = Drinkable, but meh.

😊 60-69 = Fair. Not my cup of tea.

😃 70-79 = Good. Some nice elements.

😋 80-89 = Great! Interesting and very enjoyable.

🤩 90-100 = Amazing! The perfect pour. (Rare)

Sip. Rate. Repeat.

After sneaking into u/southern-rip3018 's liquor cabinet, I was able to get a pour of Still Austin's 4 year bottled in bond rye expression (thanks again!). I've heard that it's basically the normal, basically already 100 proof standard rye offering, but aged for at least 4 years. I'll give a little comparison at the end to compare my initial thoughts on this BiB option to the normal rye. I'll also make this short this time, if you're looking to find more info on Still Austin and their Bottled in Bond seasonal program, check out some of my earlier reviews on the Blue Corn and Red Corn.

Let's get right into it!

MSRP: ~$80.00.

Age: At least 4 years. It seems that Still Austin isn't increasing the age statement on this particular BiB release, no idea why.

ABV: 50% (100 proof).

Mashbill: 100% Texas rye.

Nose: Typical rye floral notes. There's more complexity for sure, and very little ethanol even immediately after pouring. Some chocolate comes out, like I got for the base rye, but not as much in comparison. Like the tasting notes on their website, I do get some mint, and a little bit of a honey note.

Palate: More fruit comes out, as a mix between citrus and floral. Maybe lemon or orange. Baking spices come into play here, I did not get this from the nose at all. The chocolate dies out along with the honey. The citrus and spices lead the way here.

Finish: Medium, interestingly enough it's shorter than the Red and Blue Corn, maybe that has something to do with the aging? No idea. I don't really get any new tasting notes on the finish compared to the palate, but the floral is the strongest note I get here.

Overall, this pour was definitely a step up from the base rye, but I'm not sure I'm enough of a fan of rye to really seek this bottle out. It was good for sure, and great for what it is, but just not really something I'd reach for immediately. If you're looking for a softer, more complex version of the base rye, I'd highly recommend this BiB variation! I'd probably rate this a 6 or a 6.5 on the T8KE score. In case anyone actually cares, I dug up my review on the base rye (review #4 on my page), realized I rated that at a 6.5 back in 2025, and immediately second guessed my rating. I'll just explain that as maybe being a little too generous to the base rye back when I did a review. The BiB is certainly a step above the base stuff.

I hope you enjoyed reading my review, be on the lookout for a couple more in this unplanned yet welcome Texas whiskey mini series. Cheers!

Maker's Mark The Stewards Release

Distillery: Maker's Mark

Age: NAS

Price: $84.99

Proof: 109.8

Nose: All sorts of deep sweetness going on. Cherry waffles. Strawberry. Vanilla. Maple. Brown sugar. It's really nice and the flavors work well together. However it's somewhat one dimensional and it does border a bit on being too much of a dessert sip.

Palate: On the thicker side, but not quite as syrupy as expected. Easy vanillas and caramels with some sweet oak. There's a slight barrel char note as well. Definitely a little more complexity here that shoo's away that desserty profile.

Finish: Long. The grain is noticeable here with a soft oaty nuttiness from the wheat. Marshmallow. Maple. Cinnamon. The flavors are pretty rich, but what sticks out here and the reason I would describe this as a long finish is an unmistakable medicinal cherry note that smacks you in the face and lingers forever.

Score: 7.9

Summary: Here we are in year three of the Maker's "Wood Finishing" series, and once again they've put out another really nice bottle. For those who don't know each of these releases uses a combination of oak staves to finish the bourbon. The 2024 "Heart Release" uses 10 virgin toasted French oak staves, the 2025 "Keepers Release" uses 10 virgin toasted American white oak staves, and this years "Stewards Release" also uses 10 American oak staves (however char level and toast time of these American staves is likely different between the two releases). I've had all three and would put this above the Heart Release but below the Keepers Release. I generally prefer sweeter bourbons, but even for me this felt a little too sweet at times. From the very first sip I likened it to a cherry forward Woodford Double Oaked and that still held true through the pour I had this evening. With that being said it's still a fantastic drink and being compared to Double Oaked in my opinion should be more of a compliment than a knock. It's intense and most of these sweeter notes are lovely. I just wish there was a little more going on because if there was this could have ended up a top 5 score I've ever given out. Debated going with an 8.0 here but going to say 7.9 is the score.

1. Terrible | Drain pour after the first sip
2. Very Bad | Trying to choke it down but possible drain pour
3. Poor | Would drink if forced to but never under my own will
4. Below Average | Not off-putting but not my cup of tea
5. Average | I'll take it
6. Good | Enjoyable sip
7. Very Good | Well above average
8. Excellent | A drink I will remember
9. Incredible | Something truly extraordinary
10. Best of the best | Peak Bourbon