Smoke Wagon Red, White, and Blue Bourbon Bottle

Smoke Wagon should be no stranger to Whiskey in my Wedding Ring readers - they burst on the scene in 2019 with well-aged stock from MGP, sending out standard releases of straight bourbon at various proofs. Late in 2019, the first single barrel picks rolled out, with 12/13-year-old bottlings that now fetch close to a grand on secondary.

Then, the stock started to dry up. I mean, when you’re dealing with sourced liquid, there will always be a finite amount. Slowly, the batches got smaller and younger. The ‘everyday’ Smoke Wagon is still a good everyday pour, but it’s impossible to miss the difference from just a year ago.

Just as Smoke Wagon was going to market, a new trend emerged in American whiskey, particularly but not exclusively at Brown-Forman: batches of barrels taken from the top floors of warehouses. The Jack Daniel’s Barrel Proof Rye from 2020 and the Tennessee Tasters’ Barrel Strength Rye from 2019, the 117 Series High Angel’s Share, Benchmark Top Floor, and others all seeking to capitalize on those barrels from the top (read: hottest) floors.

In Kentucky, temperatures at the top floors can reach as high as 135º in the summer. This not only pushes the whiskey into the wood more forcefully than at lower, cooler floors, but also causes higher evaporation, i.e. high angel’s share. There are a lot of results that come from this, but the clearest one is a whiskey that seems like it’s aged faster than its cooler counterparts.

Smoke Wagon says as much on the label:

Barrels are first hand selected from the top two floors of the warehouse to create a bourbon that has flavor which is smooth and rich beyond its years. They are then expertly blended creating a delicate balance of rye spice, sweet notes of corn with toasted oak and caramel.

There is plenty of creaminess on this pour, but as I found with the Benchmark Top Floor and the Old Forester, the mouthfeel needed a bit more heft to really convey the flavors.

Smoke Wagon Red, White, and Blue Bourbon: Specs

Classification: Bourbon

Origin: MGP, Bottled by H&C Distilling Co.

Mashbill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye, 4% Malted Barley

Proof: 92.5 (46.25% ABV)

Age: NAS

Location: Las Vegas

Smoke Wagon Red, White, and Blue Bourbon Price: $40

No Official Website

Smoke Wagon Red, White, and Blue Bourbon Review: Tasting Notes

Eye: Dark apple juice. Medium-to-thick rims, syrupy legs.

Nose: Lots of toasted pepper and oak spice. Smells hotter than the stated proof. Strong corn scents with vanilla and honey butter.

Palate: Much less heat than on the palate. Flavors of corn, black pepper, and dark chocolate are present and tasty, but also seem a bit held back. Looking for pepperiness that doesn’t fully materialize. Mouthfeel is light verging on medium, opens more chocolate and a bit more proof heat, coating and creamy.

Finish: Medium-length, surprisingly chocolatey and quite creamy.

Overall: Get the nose and finish a stronger palate! Seriously, if the palate on this were heftier, you’d have an excellent bottle here. The palate isn’t bad, per se, but after the nose and finish you just expect more from it. The finish was really the best part, creamy and chocolatey. A staple in waiting.

Final Rating: 6.9

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)