High n' Wicked Cask Strength Bourbon & Rye Reviews

 

High n’ Wicked was founded in 2019 by W.L. Lyons Brown III and Kevin E. Sachs, both formerly of Brown-Forman. The duo was instrumental in bringing Jack Daniel’s and Southern Comfort to the Asian and European markets.

 

“Our pursuit of distinctive distillates is relentless. While the soul of our brand franchise will always be Kentucky Bourbon and Kentucky Rye, we are not afraid to bottle whiskies from other parts of the country or from The Old World that meet our standards. We will throw in some secondary wood finishes from time to time to keep our offerings frothy.” – W.L. Lyons Brown III, CEO and Co-Founder

 

As alluded to earlier, High n’ Wicked also produces one-offs, including Bourbons, Single Malt Irish whiskeys, and Single Grain Irish whiskeys, some of which will feature unique aging and finishing components.

 

The brand is distributed to 41 states and the District of Columbia, and orders can be fulfilled from its website.

 

High n’ Wicked’s core Bourbon and Rye whiskeys each took Bottle ratings from me. I found the Bourbon a mind-blowing experience.

 

Today, we’re exploring the cask strength versions of each. Before I #DrinkCurious, I must thank High n’ Wicked for providing these samples in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews.

 

Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon

 

• Mashbill: Sweet mash of 51% corn, 39% rye, 10% malted barley by an undisclosed Kentucky distiller.
• Cooperage: 53-gallon, new, seasoned, medium-toast #4 charred oak.
• Non-Chill Filtered, 61.5% ABV (123°)
• 5 Years Old
• MSRP: $89.99 for a 750ml

 

Appearance: A neat pour into my Glencairn glass revealed a bright, coppery whiskey. It formed a thin rim and a wavy curtain of tears.

 

Nose: Orange rind was the first thing to hit my nostrils. It was followed by brown sugar, raw almonds, nougat, floral rye, and vanilla. Inhaling the air through my lips produced a sensation of crème brulee.

 

Palate: This Bourbon’s texture was creamy, and the front of my palate plucked out caramel, new leather, and orange zest. The middle found boysenberries, nutmeg, and roasted almonds. On the back,  I tasted rye spice, clove, and bittersweet chocolate.

 

Finish: Boysenberries, raspberries, chocolate, leather, clove, and orange zest rounded out the long, lingering finish. My hard palate was left tingling many minutes after I swallowed.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This was undoubtedly a 120-plus-proofed Bourbon. Once it hit my tongue, it quickly became a spice bomb. The nosing was unusual; while it carried many of the same notes as the flagship Bourbon, some were more pronounced, while others took great effort to nail down. I enjoyed the long-lasting, warm finish. I believe you’ll find this to be masterfully created and worth picking up a Bottle. 

 

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Cask Strength Kentucky Straight Rye

 

• Mashbill: A sour mash of 91% rye and 9% malted barley distilled by New Riff Distilling.
• Cooperage: 53-gallon, new, toasted #4 charred oak
• Non-Chill Filtered, 62% ABV (124°)
• 5 Years Old
• MSRP: $89.99 for a 750ml

 

Appearance: I poured this into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The liquid looked like a darker orange amber. A medium rim formed and shed fast thick tears.

 

Nose: This Rye’s aroma consisted of apples, pears, cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, floral rye, and barrel char. When taken inside my mouth, the air tasted of mocha.

 

Palate: The mouthfeel was thin and oily. Cinnamon, clove, and mint started the show. The middle featured tobacco leaf, apples, and vanilla. The back exploded with cinnamon Red Hots, barrel char, and dark chocolate.

 

Finish: This cask-strength Rye had one of those freight train finishes. It started mildly and then ramped up quickly. There was no slowing it down. Flavors of coffee, dark chocolate, cinnamon Red Hots, barrel char, and tobacco competed for attention.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: High n’ Wicked’s Cask Strength Rye is everything you’d expect from an undiluted American Rye. It was spicy. It was flavorful. It was bold. It, too, was in a different world than the core expression. I commend New Riff for distilling this whiskey and High ‘n Wicked for bringing it to market. It is worth the investment, and takes my Bottle rating.

 

Final Thoughts: Firstly, I commend High n’ Wicked for keeping the cost low; there is only a $10.00 premium between the core and cask strength versions. Many brands crank those prices up.

 

With the Bourbon, I preferred the core expression. That’s not to suggest this wasn’t delicious at cask strength; it lacked the massive layering the core possessed. Whereas the core expression Rye lacked spice, the cask strength had a plethora. This drank way over its stated proof, perhaps by ten points.

 

In all, I relished what I sipped today, but to be frank, I’d save my $10 on each bottle and take the core expressions. As good as these were, I found them each to be superior. 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.