Cedar Ridge Double Barrel Bourbon & Rye Reviews (2025)

Cedar Ridge Winery & Distillery is a grain-to-glass craft distillery located in Swisher, Iowa. Founded in 2005 by Jeff Quint, Cedar Ridge is the first Iowa-licensed distillery since Prohibition. He came from a long line of farmers and began his operation, realizing it was time for Iowa to earn its place on the Bourbon distilling map.

 

In its infancy, the distillery utilized only corn grown on the family farm. As Cedar Ridge’s whiskeys became more popular, it couldn’t grow enough corn fast enough and now relies on 100% Iowa-grown corn to supplement what the family can grow. The barrels are stored in natural-environment warehouses, which allows the angels to take a larger-than-average share of the whiskey – about 18% versus the national average of 12%.

 

Each November, Cedar Ridge offers its limited-edition Double Barrel Bourbon and Double Barrel Rye. 

 

“This is one of the most anticipated releases we work on each year. Both releases show off our Iowa whiskeys in a unique way and shine the spotlight on our finishing technique. Both the Double Barrel Bourbon and Double Barrel Rye were finished in second New American Oak Cask.” – Murphy Quint, Master Distiller

 

Despite Double Barrel Bourbon and Double Barrel Rye being limited releases, they are available nationally at retailers, at the distillery, and online.

 

It has been a few years since I’ve had the opportunity to explore the Double Barrel releases – the last time was 2022. I enjoyed it, but three years is a long time. It is almost as if I’m going into this blind. Cedar Ridge was kind enough to provide me with samples of each in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review, so let’s #DrinkCurious and learn all we can about them!

 

Oh, one last thing… I used a fresh Glencairn glass for each pour and sipped them neat. Each was allowed to rest for about 10 minutes before observing its qualities.

 

Double Barrel Bourbon

 

• Whiskey Type:  Bourbon
• Distiller: Cedar Ridge Distillery
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: 74% corn, 14% rye, and 12% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished in a new, American oak barrel
• Alcohol Content: 52.5% ABV (105°)
• Price per 750mL: $59.99

 

Appearance: The Bourbon presented a caramel color. A medium rim produced massive, crazed tears.

 

Nose: The first note I detected while sniffing this Bourbon was butterscotch. Beneath that, I found orange zest, young leather, and charred oak. As I drew the air through my lips, there was freshly-shredded tobacco.

 

Palate: Double Barrel Bourbon’s mouthfeel was thin and oily. The palate shock consisted of pine tar, which I found very unusual. With the second sip, I tasted orange zest, figs, and vanilla on the front of my palate. Midway through, notes of molasses, almond paste, and leather emerged. Next came toasted oak, barrel char, and clove.

 

Finish: Clove, char, molasses, leather, and orange zest remained primarily on my tongue. It was an even finish; one that just parked before slowly rolling away. At 1:28, it was a medium experience.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I'm unsure where to start. The palate shock took me aback; pine tar is something you occasionally find in smoky Island Scotches. I’ve never found that in any American whiskey until today. Thankfully, that was the beginning and the end of it.

 

Beyond that, some fascinating things were going on with the Double Barrel Bourbon. It had some fruit, was nutty, savory, and spicy. It took me on a tour of the flavor wheel, yet it seemed well-balanced. It also drank about ten points below its stated proof, making it an effortless sipper.

 

So, despite the weird palate shock, I enjoyed what was in the glass. It highlights the fantastic talent that Murphy Quint possesses. I believe it is priced reasonably, and I convey my Bottle rating.

 

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Double Barrel Rye

 

• Whiskey Type: American Rye
• Distiller: Cedar Ridge Distillery
• Age: NAS
• Mashbill: 85% rye, 12% corn, and 3% malted barley
• Cooperage: New, 53-gallon charred oak barrels, then finished in a new, American oak barrel
• Alcohol Content: 52.5% ABV (105°)
• Price per 750mL: $59.99

 

Appearance: The orange-amber liquid produced a thick rim that appeared to stick to the wall, even after discharging slow, tightly spaced, husky tears.

 

Nose: The Rye’s aroma included vanilla, very soft mint, leather, mild rye spice, and oak. When I pulled the vapor into my mouth, I encountered cinnamon and toffee.

 

Palate: With my first sip, I discovered a soft, creamy texture. There was no palate shock to speak of. Flavors of vanilla, leather, and rye spice were on the front of my palate, while the middle featured toffee, baked apples, and a kiss of mint. The back included

 

Finish: Things began softly, and it seemed to be tugged uphill in intensity, with cinnamon and oak as the chief characters. Less prominent were stewed apples, toffee, and white pepper. I timed it at 1:40, making it a medium-to-long duration.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: If you enjoy Bourbon and are not a fan of American Rye, then Double Barrel Rye will impress you. Despite the predominant grain’s 85% component, it tasted far closer to a barely legal Rye (around 51%). I can’t imagine that rebarreling it would be the cause.

 

If you’re expecting a spice bomb, you won’t find it here. Instead, the Double Barrel Rye should appeal to a mass audience, which is somehow interesting for a limited-edition whiskey. It could easily pass for a 90° Bourbon (versus a Rye) without a second thought.

 

There’s a lot of value here for $60.00. I enjoyed it; I believe you will, too. Hence, it takes my Bottle rating.  

 

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Final Thoughts: These two Double Barrel expressions are atypical of what you’d expect for either whiskey category. While both were delicious and well worth your attention, the Rye was mesmerizing because of how Bourbon-like it was. Really, you can’t go wrong with either, but don’t expect them to be typical pours of their respective categories.

 

For fun, I blended the two, and the concoction ended up more like a spicy American Rye, which was totally unexpected. 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.