"Lamboozhound" Blend Project of La Crosse Distilling High Rye Light Whiskey Review & Tasting Notes

Every so often, I have friends in the retail liquor business who ask me to review their barrel picks or blended whiskey projects. Today I’m exploring Lamboozhound, a blended whiskey project created by Sean Wipfli of Niemuth’s Southside Market, located at 2121 S. Oneida Street in Appleton, Wisconsin.

 

Lamboozhound began its journey as La Crosse Distilling Co.’s High Rye Light Whiskey. It contains portions of four of six Niemuth’s La Crosse store picks, which were then aged at least two years in four of ex-Niemuth’s store pick barrels. The cooperage used was:

 

a Heaven Hill barrel used to age maple syrup and Bourbon;

a Driftless Glen third-fill Rye barrel;

a Great Northern Distilling second-fill Rye barrel; and

an MGP barrel that initially held Bourbon, then Stout.

 

Lamboozhound is packaged at 90°. There are 180 - 750ml bottles available priced at $30.99.

 

I hold my friends' whiskeys to the same standards as anything else. It has to pass muster. If you are curious if I’ve ever rated these lower than a Bottle, the answer is absolutely. In fact, I’ve done it with a prior pick or two that Sean did for Niemuth’s. So, let’s #DrinkCurious and discover how this one turned out. 

 

Appearance: I sipped this blend neat in my Glencairn glass. Frankly, it presented similarly to a standard La Crosse High Rye Light Whiskey, the color of pale straw and a thick rim. Slow, sticky tears fell back into the pool.

 

Nose: I found Lamboozhound quite fragrant as it was resting in my glass. I came across vanilla cream, milk chocolate, rye spice, hops, and something minorly astringent. Those last two notes I attribute to the Stout influence. Drawing that vapor through my lips created a blast of orange and tangerine flavors.

 

Palate: A buttery texture greeted my tongue. The front tasted of hops, vanilla, and maple syrup. Midway through, I found rye spice and a hint of cinnamon, whereas the back featured citrus, oak, and clove.

 

Finish: If I didn’t know better, I could wonder if Sean dumped a dollop of orange juice for good measure because that was the first thing I thought of after I swallowed. Clove and hops came next, and while the clove fell off, the hops lasted far longer. Overall, it was long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I’ll start by saying that I’m not a beer guy, and it seemed to me its character dominated the blend. I’ve had beer-finished whiskeys and found some enjoyable, but they were all less hoppy. Lamboozhound should easily appeal to someone who savors a strong beer influence. I believe the fairest rating on Lamboozhound is a Bar. Cheers!

 

My Simple, Easy-to-Understand Rating System

• Bottle = Buy It
• Bar = Try It
• Bust = Leave It

 

Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you do so responsibly.