Smoke Wagon 3-Pack (UCUF, Small Batch & Straight Bourbon)

Blending vintages of our high rye mash bill to achieve this flavor profile at 115-116 plus proof was a very rewarding challenge for us. There is a delicate balance between creamy mouthfeel, tannins and sugars that comes into play that makes the end result magical. Older vintages have more evaporation which means a higher concentration of fats and sugars per ounce which gives them a nice creamy mouthfeel as well as caramel and honey goodness. They also have more tannins because alcohol has been in contact with the wood for longer. A lot of what some perceive as alcohol burn is actually a harshness due to tannins. This can counterbalance the benefit gained by the high concentration of lipid esters insulating your pallet from alcohol heat. There needs to be enough of the older bourbon for the oak flavors and mouthfeel, but also some younger ones to cut back on the tannins and bring in some delicate fruit and caramel flavors.

Small Batch:

Our high rye content bourbon is aged in the heart of a century-old brick warehouse. To ensure a unique and consistent flavor, barrels are hand-selected to create a perfect blend that is smooth and at the same time bold and intense.

Released in 2016, our goal was to create a unique great tasting high rye content bourbon.  

The problem is that rye ages much faster than corn.

So while our younger vintages had a big rye spice flavor (which we love) the mouthfeel was too thin and it lacked the sweet, delicate complexity of a well-aged spirit.  Our older vintages had the smoothness and sweet notes that can only be achieved by moving in and out of #4 char and caramelized oak for many, many years, but the nice rye spice had been aged out! 

So what to do? Find the perfect blend.

We combined the two. The younger vintages maintain the bold spiciness of the rye, cut down on the tannin, and keep it fruit-forward.  The older vintage brings in a creamy mouthfeel with sweet aromas and taste notes that only appear over time from aging in a barrel. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it.

Straight: 

Just released in fall of 2019, the goal was to create an affordable everyday bourbon that had that unique and unmistakable Smoke Wagon Flavor, consisting of delicate sweet notes with a rye spice finish. Barrels with our same high rye mash bill were racked on the top two floors of the warehouse and never rotated. The higher the floor the hotter it gets in the summer causing more expansion and more movement into the wood. Because we don't chill filter, these combined aspects create a bourbon that is rich and creamy beyond its years. Never rotating the barrels ensures there are no harsh tannin flavors and the high rye mash bill adds a delightfully spicy and nutty finish.