Old Elk Slow Cut Blended Straight Bourbon Whiskey Review (2025)

 

Greg Metze is no stranger to whiskey. As the former master distiller of MGP, Greg started honing his skills when the now Ross & Squibb (formerly MGP) was still referred to as Joseph E Seagram & Sons Distillery. He graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati in 1978 before signing on with Seagram. He was an entry-level manager before apprenticing for nine years under then-Master Distiller Larry Ebersold.

 

In 2016, Greg parted ways with MGP. He had been the creative force behind Old Elk Distillery in Ft. Collins, Colorado, since its inception in 2013 and officially signed on once his relationship with MGP was severed.

 

Old Elk has what it calls a Slow Cut Proofing Process. It isn’t a unique process; other distilleries do something similar. Instead of proofing down its whiskey in one fell swoop, the process involves adding water a little bit at a time over several weeks. Old Elk indicates this keeps the whiskey from overheating during the proofing cycle, which helps preserve some of its more nuanced flavors. Depending on the results, Old Elk does this up to ten times before it is ready.

 

“Here at Old Elk, though, we’ve always done things differently. Instead of a day, we spend weeks adding small increments of water to keep our liquid cool and save the delicate flavors our team works so hard to produce during mashing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation. It’s why we’ve deemed our whiskey Slow Cut™, and it’s why you can taste the quality in every sip.” – Old Elk Distillery

 

Old Elk Slow Cut Blended Straight Bourbon starts with its high-malt mashbill of 51% corn, 15% rye, and 34% malted barley. Once barrelled, it was allowed to rest between four and seven years before being dumped, blended, and sent through the Slow Cut proofing process until it hits 44% ABV (88°). It is available nationwide, and a 750mL package has a suggested price of $39.99.

 

I must thank Old Elk Distillery for providing me with a sample in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover how this turned out.

 

Appearance: I poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. The topaz-colored liquid created a medium-thick rim and husky, tightly-spaced, fast tears.  

 

Nose: After allowing the whiskey to rest, I brought the glass to my nose and inhaled. There was corn, charred oak, a slight smell of sawdust, caramel, and cinnamon. It was a gentle sniffing experience; there was no distracting ethanol bomb. It was all vanilla bean when I pulled the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: I encountered a silky, light-bodied texture, and there were immediate flavors of vanilla, cinnamon spice, and brown sugar. As the whiskey worked its way across my tongue, maple syrup, orange zest, and nutmeg were at the mid-palate, with oak, cocoa powder, and rye spice on the back.

 

Finish: Old Elk had an unusual finish. At first, it seemed incredibly short; I sipped, and it was there, but suddenly, it wasn’t. But it returned after a few seconds, slowly ramping up to a crescendo, and then faded again at 2:09, which I’d classify as long. It featured cocoa powder, rye spice, maple syrup, and orange zest.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: For an 88-proofer, Slow Cut Blended Straight Bourbon captured my attention. It is an extremely well-balanced and smooth sipping experience. The whiskey would likely make a good cocktail base, but it is perfectly fine poured neat. Adding water or ice would be a mistake; you’d drown out the flavors.

 

Considering it is only $40.00, this one is a surefire 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.