Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon
Yesterday’s review of Cedar Ridge’s Quintessential Single Malt went over the oddities of making single malt in corn country. Today we’re diving into Cedar Ridge’s Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch 1.
Made from Iowa corn and aged in char #3 barrels, this is I think the best representation of Cedar Ridge’s bourbon potential (even including room to grow). Iowa sees huge diurnal shifts, pushing the whiskey in and out of the wood just as fast as you’d see in Kentucky or Tennessee.
And speaking of those states…
Cedar Ridge bourbon holds a unique honor in relation to Kentucky: it is the first non-Kentucky bourbon to outsell Kentucky bourbon in its home state. In other words, Cedar Ridge bourbon sells more of its own Iowa-grown-and-aged bourbon in Iowa than any Kentucky bourbon. The Iowa corn mixed with the unique off-grain distillation - a rarity in bourbon - produces a workhorse that holds up on its own or when mixed.
Cedar Ridge is owning their backyard, the dream of so many smaller distilleries around the country. Their distribution is growing rapidly - as Murphy put it, they can’t bring everyone to Iowa, so instead they’re bring Iowa to everyone. The Quint’s family legacy, the one Murphy’s father Jeff always wanted, was to put Iowa bourbon on the map, and they’ve done that. With the Barrel Proof Small Batch Bourbon, the next stage begins.
This stage was, to many an outsider, an inevitability. Everyone who had tried Cedar Ridge’s 86º bourbon said it was good, but would be great at barrel proof, people including Fred Minnick and Whisky Advocate writers. As Murphy and I recorded our episode in March, Fred had posted about the barrel proof coming out just the week before, and the rewards started rolling in. As of writing, this bottle won Platinum at the 2023 ASCOT Awards and Bronze at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
The thing is, Cedar Ridge had been selling single barrels for years. They were loved by those who got them, but none came out under the Cedar Ridge label. Murphy was consistently drinking the bourbon at barrel proof, but it took some time to bring that taste to the masses. The Barrel Proof Bourbon is the same as the 86º, undiluted, but each barrel is tasted by Murphy to ensure it’s the profile he wants in the batch.
Batch 1 is a very good barrel proof bourbon. Frankly, if I factored price into my ratings, it would rank even higher…$39.99 for a 116º ~4-year-old bourbon? That follows a perfect $10-per-year line, and easily wins another point or two in other people’s rankings.
For me, the flavors are all there, especially on the nose and palate. The mouthfeel is a tad thinner than expected, but you can also tell there’s more there to find. I would expect this to only continue getting better as it reaches 5 or 6 years, at which point it’ll have more time in those crazy Iowa seasons to gain body and bring it across the finish line. This is the definition of a “very good start, greatness within reach” bourbon.
For more info, take a listen to my episode with Murphy Quint of Cedar Ridge Distillery on the Whiskey Ring Podcast.
Thank you to Cedar Ridge for providing a bottle of this product at no cost and free of editorial constraint.
Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon: Specs
Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Origin: Cedar Ridge Distillery
Mashbill: 74% Corn, 14% Malted Rye, 12% 2-Row Pale Malted Barley
Proof: 116 (58% ABV)
Age: 3-4 Years Old
Location: Iowa
Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon Price: $39.99
Cedar Ridge Barrel Proof Bourbon: Tasting Notes
Eye: Light maple syrup. Thin rims and quick, thin legs and small drops.
Nose: Roasting corn kernels, but not youthful. Salted caramel popcorn. Smoky in a barrel char kind of way, dark rye bread in the background. Sweet barley notes are the only part that come across slightly grainy.
Palate: Spicy brown sugar, snickerdoodles and white pepper, and intensely dark bourbon sugar notes. Maple sugar and burnt maple syrup. Mouthfeel is thinner than expected, but has a Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof quality where it warms and has an explosive mouthfeel from tip-to-throat (despite being a little thin). Bourbon-sugar caramel.
Finish: Medium side of short, like it stumbles at the finish line. The flavor is there and the mouthfeel does build, but it disappears a bit too fast.
Overall: Great on the nose and palate before falling short at the finish line. Intriguing and dark up to that point, drinking above proof just like the American Single Malt did. Given that this is the first batch, I can see room for improvement. I get the sense from talking to him that Murphy knows what to do to get this from a very good to great, and he’s not far off.
Final Rating: 6.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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