Black Ridge Small Batch

Let me start off by saying that I found this Bourbon by accident after I was unable to find another product at total wine and was suggested this Bourbon as a good alternative.I personally don't know much about Black Ridge Bourbon. All that's available on the total wine website from which I bought this product is:

Established in 1879, Black Ridge still draws iron-free limestone water from its original spring and utilize the finest corn, rye, and malted barley to produce a bourbon rich with a complex taste and pleasant finish.

Upon further research online, I come to find out the producer is the Sazerac Company. But again, I'm unable to download their pdf file on this product. Anyways, enough chat, what's this Bourbon all about?

As a Whiskey drinker, I am a creature of habit. I first go to a bar and taste a few products that interest me. If they make an impression I go out and acquire a bottle. This is my standard protocol for acquiring my Whiskey's. So when encouraged by the staff at Total wine of this new Bourbon's great potential I was a bit skeptical. However, in their tasting room, I was allowed to nose a glass and that's what sold me on this Whiskey. So let me start with that.

Nose: A very vibrant and fresh nose. So lush, so rich! It's almost as if it's teasing you with it's intense aroma's to take a sip, but you can't, you won't, you want to keep on nosing this glass. The caramel, the vanilla, the fresh sappy oak smells wafting up from this glass are teasing. Toffee, all spice,cinnamon, coco, black cherry, licorice, milk chocolate, candied orange rind, fresh cut red apples, cereal, and maple syrup. The nose is just incredible.

Enough teasing! Time to taste.

Palate: Very faint spice. Sweet, oaky, sappy, caramel, vanilla oak, maple syrup, orange rind come back to re-visit. The viscosity in the mouth is exactly like that of maple syrup, sticky, but not very thick once it mixes in your mouth, and tastes similarly as well. It's no brute, this is medium bodied and gentle on the palate. It's very smooth considering that there's no burn or no noticeable alcohol taste for the 45% ABV that's stated. There are some tannin's but the grip is just enough to make this drink interesting.

Finish: Very gentle warming heat. Black tea, walnuts, bees wax, vanilla oak, creamy finish. Medium as well, your mouth isn't left to dry nor to moist. The balance is just right.

My thoughts. This is a good product. It's not meant to be super/deluxe/high end. But for the $30 I paid for it, it's well worth it. It's a Bourbon that any spirit's drinker will enjoy. If you like Speyside or Lowland single malt's you'll definitely enjoy this. There's a reminiscence of some Balvenie, Glenfiddich, Auchentoshan, Macallan to this Bourbon both in the nose and finish. Quite a good find. But, personally, the nose is the best part. It promises so much and I don't think the taste nor finish do it justice.