Grim Reaper Tasting Room Special Release
River Roots Barrel Co. is an NDP based out of Cleveland. They have some notoriety as the first time I heard about them was from that insane, 14-year-old port-finished hazmat bourbon they released a year or so back. They hadn’t caught my attention initially until I started seeing these well-aged MGP ryes begin to appear. I love me some 95/5 and I’m a sucker for a fun label. What a perfect whiskey to review for the fall holiday!
Distillery: Midwest Grain Products (MGP).
Region: Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
ABV: 61.89%.
Age: 8 Years, 6 Months.
Cask type: New Charred Oak. Barrel #155.
Price: $90.
Color: 1.7, Burnt Umber. Natural Color. No chill filtration.
Tasting Notes
Tasted neat in a Glencairn with 15+ minutes of rest. Dilution was added for the second half of the tasting with an additional rest of upwards of an hour.
Nose: Sugars, fruits, and baking spices galore! After giving the ethanols time to dissipate from my glass, a sweeter rye profile builds in the glass. Royal icing and raw sugar crystals. Ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. The combination of heat from the baking spices and sugars reminds me of iced ginger snaps and snickerdoodle cookies. A bready, yeast roll element lurks behind all the sweeter aromas. After a few drops of water, the acidic notes are released. Lemon oils, Juicyfruit gum, pink starbursts. Take the dilution even further, and suddenly, dark stonefruit notes start to pop. Plums, sugared dates, and figs. Lastly, there’s an unexpected note: cultured butter. I’m just imagining buttered toast or yeast rolls at Thanksgiving.
Palate: Balance comes to the sweet profiled nose with some much needed tannins as this whiskey is oak dominant on the palate. Tobacco, black tea, and orange peel. If you’ve ever made a brûléed sugar garnish on an orange wheel, then you’ll recognize this right away! Apple butter and sugar-dusted pie crust. Mineral-rich sparkling water with a notable calcium and iron flavor. Dank, woodsy, and earthy flavors of mushrooms and rosemary. Not to the level I’d like, but it’s getting there. Dilution eases the oak and blooms some herbal tea flavors. Citrus oils with bright, but bitter lime leaf. I have a fantastic bottle of Lime Leaf bitters from Bitters Lab that I feel would pair this whiskey well in an old fashioned.
Finish: On theme with, you guessed it, sugar! Darker molasses flavors with some demerara and brown sugars. The oak tannins give that much-needed bitter balance to the profile. Charcoal, tobacco ash, and toasted spices. Star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardamom. The addition of water was again preferred here on the finish to lighten those brighter oak flavors. Bold and robust notes of loose pipe tobacco from a leather pouch. Pithy citrus peel and nearly a floral, aromatic cedar note. An interesting, though short, finish.
Overall
This is going to sound contrary and a bit contentious. This is a crushable whiskey, but — and here’s the kicker — it’s not the MGP rye profile that I enjoy entirety.
Let me clarify. It’s cask-driven and notably lacking that strong herbal character that I adore. I was searching for some semblance of those components and it simply wasn’t there. I don’t love using the phrase “Bourbon drinker’s rye,” but in this case, it very well might be true. The sweeter flavors are fantastic in their own right, but they’re not quite what I’m personally looking for in a rye.
For me, this is going to be a desert dram of sorts. I’m going to pair this baking spice bomb of a whiskey with crème brûlée or strudel. It needs something with cream and fat to allow those spicy flavors to coat your entire palate. I’m imagining a dram with some chocolate pecan pie. That’ll have to wait for Thanksgiving.
If you’re looking to drink a ginger snap cookie, then this bottle is for you!
Final Score: 89
