Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon Review & Tasting Notes

 

Rebel is a label that consistently puts me in a very #DrinkCurious mood. I have been impressed with most of Rebel’s whiskeys. Occasionally, there’s a release that doesn’t make my motor purr. I consider its track record to be good.

 

Recently, Lux Row Distillers provided me with a sample of Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached review. It should be there any time if you aren’t seeing it already on store shelves.  

 

What is Rebel 100? It is a wheated Bourbon with a mashbill going back to 1849. Wheated means that instead of using rye as the second major ingredient, the distiller uses wheat. Wheat does two things that rye does not. First, distilled wheat has no flavor; it allows the flavors of other ingredients, including from the wood, to shine through. Second, the wheat typically provides a softer, more rounded palate than rye, which oftentimes adds spice and/or sharpness to the palate. While the exact recipe isn’t disclosed, the wheat component is 20%.

 

Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon ramps up the age statement to, as you may guess from the name, six years. As a point of clarification, that doesn’t mean the whiskey is necessarly only six years old. There may be barrels that are older, but nothing would be younger than six.

 

“Rebel 100 6-Year demonstrates that age is never a bad thing. The combination of spotlighting our original recipe and aging it for six years resulted in a rich and rebellious, full flavor bourbon that I think will resonate with consumers. Six years is a long time to wait, but the wait was worth it.” – John Rempe, Lux Row Distillers Master Distiller

 

It is still bottled at 50% ABV (100°) and has a suggested price of $59.99 for a 750ml. Let’s explore this Bourbon in detail and taste if it is worth the price of admission.

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The copper-colored liquid formed a medium rim and slow, thick tears.

 

Nose: It was easy to pick out corn during my initial nosing. As I continued to sniff, that corn was followed by oak, toasted pecans, vanilla, and nutmeg. Inhaling the vapor through my lips offered a thick dose honey.   

 

Palate: The full-bodied mouthfeel introduced my palate to plums, cherries, and raspberries. Midway through, I tasted butterscotch, toasted pecans, and lemon. The back featured charred oak, black pepper, and clove.

 

Finish: The finish included flavors of butterscotch, charred oak, black pepper, and lemon zest.  The spice portion was like the Energizer Bunny: it kept going and going and going.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: You can get a lot of mileage out of a single pour of Rebel 100 6-Year Bourbon. This isn’t a whiskey to plow through, and definitely not one to shoot back. It is sippin’ whiskey with plenty of character. These days, many six-year-old Bourbons go for the asking price (and more). I’m convinced this is another winner from Lux Row Distillers and it earns my Bottle rating. 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 to do so responsibly.