Old Elk Straight Bourbon 5 Year (store pick)

Old Elk Straight Bourbon 5 Year Old (store pick)

Next up is an Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey 5 year old store pick from @thewhiskyguys at Gordon’s Wine in the Greater Boston area.   I’m pretty sure this is my first Old Elk but I’ve seen a variety of their releases on shelves at various liquor stores so I’m excited to give this a try, even if, as a store pick, it isn’t quite a proper representation of the core releases. 

This is sourced bourbon from MGP with a mash bill of 51% Corn, 34% Malted Barley, 15% Rye.  According to the store’s website, this is from warehouse E, Floor 3, Rack 17, Tier 1 (for the nerds). 

What’s a bit interesting about this being a “sourced” bourbon, is that the Master Distiller, Greg Metze, spent nearly 40 years at MGP, where the bourbon is sourced.  I have no idea how much influence he may or may not have had in the development of this bourbon mash bill, but it’s probably safe to assume that he has a better handle on the raw product than most other master distillers sourcing whiskey from MGP.

ABV: 56.2%

How it smells…cinnamon, vanilla, maple, cherries…with water, not much changes except stronger on the vanilla.

How it tastes…vanilla sweetness to start followed by the oak and cinnamon.  The end is like cherry syrup with some spiciness followed by a touch of bitterness….with water, it is sweeter to start and spicier through the end and finish, which turns into a sweeter cinnamon, but that slight bitterness goes away.

Price…$55

Rating...🥃🥃🥃🥃

Final thoughts….this is a nice little sip.  Overall, I found it marginally better with just a small dab of water to open it up as it gets rid of that slight bitter note on the finish.  It’s a nice combination of sweet & spicy and, with water, that syrupy taste also diminishes.  

I went into the tasting without knowing the mash bill, but retrospect, I’m a little surprised that I didn’t get more malty notes out of it given the high percentage of malted barley.  The mouthfeel certainly makes more sense now, but I’m still a bit surprised.  Otherwise, it’s a pretty straight forward bourbon tasting profile.  I even tried it with a bit of ice, but I didn’t find that altered the flavor much.  Given the proof and the profile, this would be a great bourbon to use in bourbon-forward cocktails, not just as a neat/rocks sipper.  The proof and flavors will hold up well with other additives and the sticker price isn’t too high, that said it is at the upper end of the price point that I will use as a cocktail whiskey.  I generally follow the “quality ingredients make quality cocktails” mentally, but there’s a limit of course….

Rating wise I feel good at 4x 🥃 as you get a good tasting bourbon at a high proof for a decent price.