"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.

 

 

Driftless Glen 51 Rye "Wicked Sensation" Review & Tasting Notes

Barrel picks are always a special experience, but sometimes, when you least expect it, you're part of a one-of-a-kind pick. On October 5th, Troy Mancusi, Nathanael Romick of McFarland Liquor, and I were invited to Driftless Glen Distillery in Baraboo, Wisconsin to have an exclusive pick of their 51 Rye Whiskey for The Speakeasy_WI.

Yes, yes I know. Every barrel pick is exclusive and one-of-a-kind. But this is above and beyond that.  You see, this is the only 51 Rye pick in the world. There were only a few barrels total, and the ones we did not choose would be blended together for the rest of the retail universe. 

The idea behind 51 Rye was purposeful. It aged four years and five months in 59-gallon barrels and is bottled at 51% ABV (102 proof). It is distilled from a mash of 51% Rye, 33% corn and 16% malted barley. We tried four different barrels at both barrel proof and our best estimate at retail proof. We wound up selecting Barrel 847 and named it Wicked Sensation as we knew it would drop very fast, probably right before Halloween. Retail at McFarland Liquor is $43.99.

There is always a difference in a whiskey when you proof it down compared to how it comes out of the barrel. Even a few proof points can make a significant impact. Two of us were very unimpressed with 847 at barrel proof. It was dead last for me. I disliked it so much that I drew a line through my notes. But, once we proofed it down, something spooky happened. It got very, very good.

In my Glencairn glass, Wicked Sensation presented as a dull, deep-orange amber. A ghostly rim was barely visible, and it was almost as if the legs were an apparition as they suddenly appeared and crawled down to the liquid sunshine.

A specter of cinnamon and dried fruit tantalized my nose. The dried fruit transformed to orange peel as I continued to sniff, and beneath that, an almost undetectable aroma of oak intermingled with French vanilla.  When I inhaled through my lips, it was back to dried fruit.

Wicked Sensation had a thick, creamy mouthfeel that coated everywhere. At the front, caramel and mocha grabbed hold. The mocha then became an almost fierce dark chocolate in the middle. The phantom of caramel hung on in the back.

Frankly, you'd not know Wicked Sensation was a Rye until the very long finish of oak and white pepper. It remained thick and creamy on the back of the palate and in my throat. There were no typical floral or spice notes until that spice appeared at the very end. 

Bottle, Bar or Bust:  At barrel proof, Wicked Sensation was a one-note wonder of oak on both the palate and the finish. The fact that it transformed into something incredible once proofed down was almost scary. While I've smattered these notes with little spiritual references for Halloween, they're all accurate descriptors of what I experienced.  As a final reminder, I don't pick anything that isn't special and delicious - I walk away from ones that don't meet my standards. As such, Wicked Sensation is a Bottle, especially for the price.

Finally, the Speakeasy_WI picks have been selling out in just a few days. Our last one, Turkey Drop, sold out in just 48 hours. If you're considering picking up a bottle of Wicked Sensation, the time to act is now before it is too late. Cheers!

Niemuth's "Full Boar" Driftless Glen Straight Rye Single Barrel Review & Tasting Notes

I often find myself gravitating to "store picks" of certain brands of whiskeys instead of just buying standard releases.  Examples of this include Four Roses, Elijah Craig, Buffalo Trace, and Driftless Glen.

Driftless Glen? You've not heard of that?  If you've not, you soon will. Driftless Glen is a distillery (local to me) in Baraboo, Wisconsin. They've been in business about five years, they distill a variety of spirits, but the two that interest me are their Bourbons and Ryes because, you know, whiskey.  I've been involved with barrel picks from Driftless Glen and I've seen how quickly this little distillery has grown in popularity across the country.

To me, there are two major categories of American Rye. Oh, there are subcategories as well, but they all seem to boil down to young and old Ryes.  Older Rye is typically more mellowed and younger Rye is generally bolder.  I happen to enjoy both and don't compare the two against each other because that's really unfair.

Recently I acquired a bottle of a single barrel pick for Niemuth's Southside Market, located in Appleton, Wisconsin. This bottle was provided to me in exchange for an unbiased review, and I thank them for this opportunity. This comes from Barrel 380, where the Rye aged 49 months. It was bottled at a barrel proof of 123.6°. Like all Driftless Glen Ryes, it is made from a mash of 75% rye and 25% malted barley. Niemuth's sells this for $54.99 per bottle. 

Appearance:  In my Glencairn, this Rye presented as a deep, very dark amber. It created a thin rim that led to fat droplets to quickly work its way back to the pool of liquid sunshine.

Nose:  Aromas of fruity rye and floral notes were immediately evident, even before I brought the glass close to my face. Underneath those was light oak and cinnamon. There was also a hint of ethanol. When I inhaled through my lips, it was all dark chocolate.

Palate:  The mouthfeel was thin but coating. On the front, there was the obvious spicy rye which gave way to strong walnut. Mid-palate, I picked up coffee and tobacco leaf, both of which continued on the spicy theme. But, on the back, it was the rich, dark chocolate to even things out. 

Finish:  Clove, rye spice, and smoked oak danced along the back of the throat for a very long finish. While the rye spice and oak eventually waned, clove continued to build well beyond. 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust:  There are many people who have a rough time shelling out $55 for a four-plus year Rye. I would still consider this to be a younger Rye, and if that's not your thing, then you could take a pass but I believe that would be a mistake. You also aren't going to find this sitting at your local watering hole. I really enjoyed this Full Boar Driftless Glen pick and am very happy to have it in my library. As such, it earns the coveted Bottle rating. Cheers!

My Simple, Easy to Understand Rating System

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