Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon Whisky 750 ml

Consistently rated high - great balance and flavor

Just released in fall of 2019, the goal was to create an affordable everyday bourbon that had that unique and unmistakable Smoke Wagon flavor, consisting of delicate sweet notes with a rye spice finish. Barrels with the same high rye mash bill were racked on the top two floors of the warehouse and never rotated. The higher the floor the hotter it gets in the summer causing more expansion and more movement into the wood. Because they don’t chill filter, these combined aspects create a bourbon that is rich and creamy beyond its years. Never rotating the barrels ensures there are no harsh tannin flavors and the high rye mash bill adds a delightfully spicy and nutty finish.

Nose: honey, toasted nuts and with some oak and heat.

Taste: Creamy mouthfeel with initial rich sweet notes of honey and caramel on the tip of the tongue followed by nuts, oak and pepper spice that starts on the sides of your tongue. The nuttiness and oak fade as pepper spice from the rye takes over the entirety of your pallet. Finishes with a creamy sweetness that coats followed by once again by oak and a pepper spice that lingers .

Creamy caramel, light vanilla, and oak are immediately noticeable. The sip opens with light creamy caramel and dry oak. These flavors quickly transition to a swirl of heavy rye spice, green peppercorn, aged oak, and vanilla. 

Is Smoke Wagon Bourbon hard to find? 

Flagship bottles are usually allocated and harder to find whereas entry level bottles should be a lot easier. This is not the case with Smoke Wagon as even their base level bourbon has been tricky to find. Prices are all over the place for this bottle as well, ranging from $35 to $60 depending on the store. 

Is Smoke Wagon a good bourbon? 

Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon may be the lowest proof offering in the company's standard lineup, but its enjoyable flavor profile and entry level price make it a bourbon worth exploring. Like many other brands, Smoke Wagon is sourced from MGP.  

Smoke Wagon was founded in 2012 by Aaron Chepenik and Jonathan Hensleigh in Las Vegas, Nevada. Sourced from MGP in Indiana, the company ages their whiskey in the Nevada desert and leans on bespoke blending to differentiate their whiskey from other MGP sourced whiskeys. 

Smoke Break 

Ingredients 

• 1 pinch cherrywood chips 
• 2 ounces W.L. Weller Special Reserve bourbon 
• 3/4 ounce cream sherry 
• 1/2 ounce Carpano Antica Formula vermouth 
• 2 dashes Woodford Reserve spiced cherry bourbon-barrel-aged bitters 
• 1 dash Angostura bitters 
• Garnish: dark chocolate 
• Garnish: dried black cherries 

Steps 

1. Using a smoking gun and the cherrywood chips, add smoke to a glass decanter, then cover the top of the decanter to capture the smoke. 
2. Add the bourbon, cream sherry, vermouth, both bitters and ice into a mixing glass, and stir until well-chilled. 
3. Strain the contents into the prepared decanter, then cap the decanter so the drink mingles with the smoke. Let sit until desired smokiness is reached. 
4. Pour into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. 
5. Serve with a tray of dark chocolate and dried black cherries on the side. 

Smoke Wagon Straight Bourbon Whiskey was just awarded the Double Gold Medal at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. "Double Gold" means that it was the unanimous choice of the judges. The flavor was developed by using barrels that were racked on the top two floors of the warehouse. 

       ABV 46.25

       Proof 93