Ragged Branch Signature Double Oaked BiB

Cost: $60 for 750mL bottle on Seelbach’s (I’m reviewing a sample, courtesy of u/Bailzay!)

Age: 5 years

Mash Bill: 68% corn, 16% rye, 16% malted barley

Proof: 100

For my last review I reviewed Ragged Branch’s wheated bourbon. It was bottled at 90 proof, but I was still quite pleased with it and impressed with the notes for the low proof. Today, I’m trying the rye mashbill bourbon, also twice barreled, but bottled at 100 proof. Let’s see what we think!

This is bottle 166 of barrel 1400. Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

Appearance: Real red mahogany (1.6). Like their wheated, this is very oily. Perhaps a little thinner looking comparatively speaking, but overall still very thick. I say that it’s a little thinner though because there were a few quick thin legs that I saw at first and then like the wheated it beaded very well around the glass and created super slow fat legs.

Nose: I’m immediately picking up a sweet red fruit compote of plums, cherries, and brown sugar. There’s a definite black pepper spice that hits my senses next, and a very faint note of spearmint when I really take a deep hit on this dram. There’s a slight acidic note there as well.

Palate: This has a medium mouthfeel, not quite as thick as the wheated bourbon, and with a little more bite to it. Burnt brown sugar is very prominent with a little black cherry. I’m getting a mocha note. A noticeable amount of coffee and a little lighter on the chocolate. There’s a little rye spice and mint that show up at the tail end fading into the finish.

Finish: This is a medium length finish, and it’s dominated by a rye spice. There’s a good bit of numbing on the palate similar to what you’d get from black pepper. A little herbal note accompanied by a little brown sugar. While this finish was longer than their wheated bourbon, it’s a little more…boring? Idk. Just not hitting as well on my palate as far as the notes go.

Rating: 7.0/10

Overall: The verdict is in...I still like wheated bourbons more than rye overall (this isn't true for all distilleries). While this was still a solid sipper, Ragged Branch's wheated bourbon, even at 90 proof, hits better on my palate than the 100 proof rye mash bill. That said, this is probably one of the sweetest nosing rye mashbill bourbons I've had. I think it was really the minty notes that probably brought the rating down the most for me considering that's a note that is very hit and miss for me (more than not a miss).

1 | Disgusting | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

2 | Poor | ...I've not subjected myself to this level

3 | Bad | High West Double Rye, Jefferson's Ocean 28

4 | Sub-par | Weller's SR, Woodford Reserve Distiller's Select

5 | Good | Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Rye, Green River Wheated

6 | Very Good | Blanton's, Holladay Bourbons, Widow Jane Decadence

7 | Great | Baker's 7yr SiB, WhistlePig PiggyBack SiB, 1792 BiB

8 | Excellent | Most ECBP batches, JD SiB BiB, High West MWND Act 11

9 | Incredible | Barrel Bourbon Batch T8ke, BBC DS #7, Four Roses OESQ

10 | Perfect | Found North Batch 08