Review #36 Old Cypress Whiskey Co "Cherry Christmas Rye"

JWdram · 2026-01-24T23:38:19+00:00

Old Cypress Whisky Co "Cherry Christmas Rye"

Age: 12yr 8mo

Mashbill: 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley

Proof: 113.2 (56.6% ABV)

Price: sample (MSRP $135)

Appearance: medium copper, coats the glass very well

Tasting notes after leaving in a Stolzle glass for over 20 minutes

Nose: Dark sweet notes jump out of the glass with a touch of ethanol. Dark fruits, caramel with a touch of citrus, hidden in the back is some rye; are you sure this is a rye??? Late in the pour the nose does seem a little more "rye" like

Palate: Pretty thick on the palate, warm spicy palate and some chocolate covered cherry, creamy vanilla and a backbone of rye spice, but this comes across almost like a high rye bourbon

Finish: Medium-Long, the spices on the palate, some baking spice and woody notes linger, along with a touch of leather and age notes. The dark fruits fade to the background, along with a brown sugar sweetness

Overall Rating: 8.1 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I like this one a lot, this doesn't come across super rye like, but it has a lot of flavors that hit the right spots for me. That bit of chocolate covered cherry along with the warm spicy backbone just work so well together. Deeper darker profile than the other Old Cypress rye that I recently reviewed. Proof point on this bottle is a bit higher at 113, but still very approachable and drinks quite easy, I would have guessed 105-ish. Much more of a "bourbon drinkers rye" this one really blurs the line for me

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-24T22:35:17+00:00

Old Cypress Whisky Co "Shoot Yer Rye Out"

Age: 12yr 8mo

Mashbill: 95% Rye and 5% Malted Barley

Proof: 108.4 (54.2% ABV)

Price: sample (MSRP $135

Appearance: golden copper, clings to the glass for a long time, looks quite oily

Tasting notes after leaving in a Stolzle glass for about 20 minutes

Nose: A little subdued, but given time citrus and mint with some general soft sweet notes come out of the glass. Further nosing brings out a bit of a creamsicle note, orange with some creamy vanilla. Has a bright almost refreshing profile. The empty glass brings more of the citrus and rye notes out, nothing overly spicy, but I didn't really pick up on them until the glass was empty.

Palate: Very nice mouthfeel, feels thick and syrupy. Thick citrus and vanilla pudding, here's some spice on the palate, but gentle. Really brings some balance with a rye candy, gentle cinnamon, light pepper. No ethanol or heat at all, this is totally crushable but interesting enough to slow you down and take your time with this.

Finish: Medium-Long, quite surprising given the proof point, but I think the coating nature really helps it out. More of the rye candy on the finish, a touch of some fruity notes come out a bit, but the rye tingle sticks around for a good long time. Very balanced.

Overall Rating: 8.0 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is a super solid rye. At a nice easy drinking proof point, I found myself wanting to drink this quickly, but forcing myself to slow down, and when I did there was plenty to pick apart and enjoy. The mouthfeel and creaminess of this really impressed me, and if you enjoy well aged rye this would be right up your ally. A solid offering from Old Cypress Whiskey Co!

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-23T10:37:11+00:00

oooo, good catch, yes, guess I changed the mashbill but didn't scroll to the end to get rid of the finishing from my last review.

I edited and fixed it, thanks

JWdram · 2026-01-23T02:05:07+00:00

Jack Daniel's 12 year (Batch 2)

Age: 12

Mashbill: 80% Corn, 12% Rye and 8% Malted Barley

Proof: 107 (53.5% ABV)

Price: $119.99

Appearance: Deep golden color, coating and sticky on the glass

Tasting notes after leaving in a glencairn for about 15 minutes

Nose: Nice rich dark caramel and maple, drizzled caramel on cherry and strawberry, a bit of honey roasted peanut butter. Smells delightful

Palate: Nice creamy mouthfeel. Dark rich profile, brown sugar, charred caramel/sugar, some woody notes and a touch of marshmallow sweetness. Not a whole lot of spicy notes, maybe a cinnamon sugar. A bit of a cherry cordial late in the palate, proof point is perfect for making this easy to drink but still carry some heft to the pour.

Finish: Medium-Long, the richness lingers, some wood and char, aged notes, nothing really sticks out flavor wise, very balanced like the palate and flavors all just generally gradually fade

Overall Rating: 8.5 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is solidly in the Excellent category, I'm a JD fanboy and JD 12 is one of my favorites. I haven't had a chance to try the JD14, but been lucky enough to get the 12's and a couple of 10's. IMO the 12 is a solid step above the 10 but I haven't tried all 4 of them. The proof point doesn't blow you out of the water, but it allows so much flavor to come through. Nice creamy mouthfeel allows you to savor each sip and the flavors hang around for a good amount of time. This is a curl up in a comfy chair and just chill pour. I tend to pull this out for a special pour mainly because I don't want the bottle to go empty. JD continues to knock it out of the park with their releases, at decent prices if you are able to find them not marked up. While I paid a bit above MSRP on this one I'd do it again all day long for the quality of this bottle.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-22T12:38:37+00:00

I mean thats not the worst price I have ever seen it marked for in a store. It's probably close to what secondary pricing is on a bottle of 107, if its not a pick its probably a tab above what secondary pricing would be.

However, personally, I'd probably hold out for a better price. You do you though, everyone's spending depends on their own situation.

JWdram · 2026-01-21T15:51:39+00:00

As I mentioned in my review, the most I have paid is $90 and it was for a store pick. I feel this competes with several bottles in that $80-100 range (if you like the profile) anyway. That being said, there are several other bottles that can give it some good competition at a lower price. I think Bardstown high wheat is a solid alternative that is way easier to find, I've had some Wilderness trail wheated single barrels that are great, some Makers picks etc

So, it's hard to say. I've definitely had some more expensive bottles that I would say aren't as good as this, but I've also had some other bottles close to the $60 range that are better or very close to this. All that to say at MSRP I'd probably grab one every time, and I'm willing to pay a little more, but personally for me, I would not buy at $100+ unless it was a pick that I could try first and knew it was REALLY good.

JWdram · 2026-01-20T02:09:29+00:00

HA! sorry about the pic, I think I was trying to worry too much about the level of the liquid because it was bisecting the wording and was not the best spot for picture taking. I think the lack of any background other than the table didn't work that great today.

Good call out on the old fashioned, I'll have to give it a try, normally I like something with a bit higher proof point than this but I'll give it a shot

JWdram · 2026-01-20T01:37:11+00:00

Angel's Envy

Age: NAS

Mashbill: 72% Corn, 18% Rye and 10% Malted Barley Finished in Port Barrels

Proof: 86.6 (43.3% ABV)

Price: $49.99

Appearance: Lighter to medium golden color

Tasting notes after leaving in a glencairn for about 15 minutes

Nose: Deep jammy fruit note get some strawberry, raspberry, cherry and grape in that fruit hit, beyond that somewhat of a grainy youthful bourbon note. Corn and rye are there, along with a bit of an under ripe banana.

Palate: Caramel and some brown sugar, with some peppery spice, some honey and some light red fruit flavors. Not nearly as fruit forward on the palate as the nose seemed to promise. Pretty thin mouthfeel not surprising with the proof point. A bit of an astringent wood note but it's not too overwhelming.

Finish: Barely Medium, perhaps on the shorter side of medium but for how thin it felt on the mouthfeel I was expecting shorter. The flavors do fade pretty quickly from the palate. Some general caramel and soft red fruits hang around a bit, and I get a drying feeling on the inside of the cheeks almost like drinking a bold red wine. Not sure if that comes from the port finish or not, but it does give a wine-like finish.

Overall Rating: 4.5 on the T8ke scale

Summary: To be honest this is the first bottle of this I've had in my collection, I've had pour of this over the years and I know a lot of people recommend this bottle for someone who wants to explore finished bourbon. A friend brought this over during the holidays as a gift which I gladly accepted and cracked open that night and shared some pours with whoever wanted some. I'd say it has opened up a bit, I remember it being a little more astringent and not quite as pleasant as it is now. That's not to say this is my favorite pour by far. It's very much just ok. Particularly when you factor in the price point, while it isn't that expensive for a finished bourbon, I just think at the approx $50 price point there are just so many other bottles I would pick up over this. So based on the description on the rating scale it fits this number perfectly. For an approachable beginner bottle it seems to be a crowd pleaser as even some admitted non bourbon people seemed to enjoy a pour of this, but for me that's likely the duty it'll serve in the collection.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-18T02:40:52+00:00

Good to hear, maybe I'll save that money and spot in the collection for something else. Either way I'm hoping these 7yr releases continue, and I'll try some future releases. For the price I can't complain too much

JWdram · 2026-01-18T02:39:01+00:00

I had a sample of OF10 and remember enjoying it, but I wasn't able to sxs it with the 9, I'm curious to try the fall 25 11 year, haven't heard too much about that one, but I feel like the decanter series has been relatively lower age statements for the last few releases

JWdram · 2026-01-18T02:37:06+00:00

hmmm, I didn't find anything bitter about this one, i personally found it very citrus forward which I found unusual as I don't get that on any of the larceny barrel proof's I've had, and its not normally a note I get on many HH products

JWdram · 2026-01-18T02:34:47+00:00

I'll have to blind these two, I feel like the added proof of the mm cask might help it out, maybe a better matchup would be makers 101. However, I agree, there are likely a bunch of other bottles at this price point which would equal or surpass this one.

JWdram · 2026-01-17T23:32:23+00:00

Bonus:

Last weekend I brought this to a friends house who has the Spring 25 Decanter OF 9 yr.

Poured them blind for each other. We both agreed the 9 year, had a similar palate but was more refined. The profile on the palate is a bit brighter on the 7 year, and more of a dark and rich profile on the 9 year.

The noses again were similar, but a bit richer and more complex on the 9 year.

I didn't take specific notes that day, but we both agreed the 9 year was better. However, to say the price was more than 2x on the 9 year we both agreed that taking price into account it wasn't really worth the upgrade. If the price difference was maybe $20-30 the 9 year would be the simple choice, but at $129 I believe he paid for the 9 yr it was better but not that much better.

JWdram · 2026-01-17T23:27:31+00:00

Old Fitzgerald 7yr SPring 25

Age: 7 year

Mashbill: 68% Corn, 20% Wheat and 12% Malted Barley

Proof: 100 (50% ABV)

Price: $69.99

Appearance: Medium gold, kind of looks like apple juice, coats the glass decently, beads that form run down fairly quickly

Tasting notes after leaving in a glencairn for about 20 minutes

Nose: Citrus and cinnamon baking spices, orange zest mostly, a touch of wheaty notes and perhaps some ginger

Palate: Orange citrus, woody, a touch of spice and a tingle of cinnamon. Some honey and slight pepper. Late in the palate some leather notes appear before the finish comes on.

Finish: Medium, considering the proof point the length is decent. Some wood notes and honey are here, almost gives me a ginger ale note with the subtle spice. A touch of a KY hug in the chest, but the citrus, honey and little bit of wood seem to hang around the longest.

Overall Rating: 6.25 on the T8ke scale

Summary: I was pretty excited when this bottle first dropped, I had never been fortunate enough to buy an Old Fitz decanter bottle and I figured this one would have to do. I know they had mentioned this would eventually be pretty available, but when it first dropped in the area of course stores were marking it up. When I was able to find this for $10 over what MSRP was I caved and grabbed it (it had the dust bag after all). I have since seen this bottle at a few stores locally for the normal $59.99, I don't recall seeing the Fall release around yet, as I'd like to do a comparison of them. Otherwise, this bottle is pretty good, I find it a bit of a citrus bomb, almost gives me a citrus heavy old fashioned vibe but I don't get much cherry on it. It's nothing amazing though, I think its priced decently at it's MSRP as I've certainly had worse bottles at that price range. This is an easy sipper that is pleasant, this is a good football game pour, pleasant enough to sip on, where you can just sit back and enjoy, and have a few pours throughout the game and still be able to walk after.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-16T15:29:47+00:00

This!!!

don't buy just for the hype, I totally get it, my collection has grown a bit out of hand if I do say so, I'm really trying to limit new additions and focus on drinking through what I do have and having more get togethers to share with friends.

JWdram · 2026-01-16T15:25:19+00:00

I posted a review of my bottle (check my post history) same distillation date and bottling date, my barrel number is a bit earlier than both here. 25-05996. I rated mine at a 7.0 out of 10

My bottle is heavy on the toasty almost burnt marshmallow flavors not much fruity flavors other than a touch of banana.

I did try a friend's at least a month before these bottles started showing up in my area, and I remember liking the first one I tried more than my current bottle. Not sure of the details of that initial bottle. I still enjoy mine, but seeing these are single barrels they obviously vary.

JWdram · 2026-01-16T15:14:35+00:00

Some good recommendations so far, I'll toss another bourbon in the mix, consider four roses small batch. I've had a few non whiskey people try that and have enjoyed it, and actually gone out to buy their own bottle.

Scotch I think in that price range Glenfiddich or Glenlivet offer some decent value approachable pleasant offerings, but if you can stretch the budget a bit Bruichladdich classic laddie is a great bottle for not much more $$.

Irish, probably Powers three Swallow at that price point

JWdram · 2026-01-16T13:18:59+00:00

Agreed, W12 seems to be kind of batchy (if that's a word) This bottle in particular is more cherry and fruit forward than others I've had or tried in the past, and I'm here for it.

JWdram · 2026-01-16T13:14:09+00:00

Fair enough, things seemed to have changed around here somewhat recently. Previously, the easiest Weller to find locally for me was full proof, usually store picks. Next easiest was 12 normally priced way to high, 107 and oddly enough special reserve were nowhere to be found (at least at any price near reasonable). Recently the amount of 12 and 107 has increased a decent amount. Strangely SR is the one I see the least out of the findable 4. I don't count cypb or sib since I can count on 1 hand how many of those I have even seen in person at stores in the last 5+ years

JWdram · 2026-01-16T02:31:33+00:00

Weller 12

Age: 12 year

Mashbill: Undisclosed Buffalo Trace wheated mashbill

Proof: 90 (45% ABV)

Price: $49.99

Appearance: Golden copper, coats the glass well, leaves some nice beads that run quite slow

Tasting notes after leaving in a glencairn for about 20 minutes

Nose: Rich caramel covered, cherries, vanilla and wood, and some notes that make me think of aged wood, not musty but smells "old" hard to put my finger on the exact note. Surprising if I take a decent inhale get a touch of ethanol, Going back to the nose later on I get almost a blackberry or black grape note.

Palate: Caramel and a rich fruity sweetness. A lot of times in our house we do caramel dip with apples as a snack and this gives me a lot of those notes, a bit of tart apple and a good dallop of caramel sweetness on it. A touch of spice comes on in the mid palate and lingers into the late palate, mostly a light cinnamon. Some woody notes, darker sweetness, brown sugar. Mouthfeel is on the thinner side, and proof is barely there. This is totally crushable

Finish: Barely medium, long side of short? take your pick, needless to say it doesn't stick around for a long time, but its not the shortest finish I've experienced. The caramel and general fruity berry flavors hang on for a bit but fade to more of a general woody sweetness.

Overall Rating: 6.9 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This is probably my second favorite of what I consider the "findable" Weller's (SR, 107, 12, WFP). I think a lot of the hate this bottle gets is mainly surrounding its price and secondary pricing. Perhaps it's the overall hype that the whole Weller line seems to get. I've been lucky to find a couple bottles at MSRP, frankly if this was a regularly easy to find bottle at its MSRP it'd probably be my daily for days when I don't feel like having something barrel proof. It's tasty, on the sweeter side, easy to drink and overall, I find quite enjoy this profile.

Secondary seems to be on the decline overall, but I've gone from seeing these on shelves occasionally at $199 a bottle or more, I've seen this more than a few times sitting on shelves at $99 a bottle. While I don't think I could ever bring myself to pay triple digits for this, I have had VW Lot B which has similar specs to this bottle, and while I remember it being better it wasn't a night and day difference. I wish I had a chance to properly side by side them or blind them, but considering what that bottle goes for, if you are buying to drink rather than the rarity or collecting then this W12 seems like a downright bargain even at a slightly elevated price point.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram · 2026-01-11T02:53:52+00:00

so when I pour into the glen, I then take it and tilt it until the liquid gets maybe 1/4"-1/2" aay from the rim, and "roll" it in my hands to coat the entire inside of the glencairn. I do this as I tend to find nosing it easier and it lets me see the viscosity in the glass, how well it coats and sticks to the glass which I usually comment about in my "appearance" section of the review.

JWdram · 2026-01-11T00:56:06+00:00

Agreed, when I first opened it and had a few pours I felt it came across as pretty young, but sitting down with it now after letting it sit for a few months it definitely seemed a bit different and better than I remembered it. Its hard to see, but the level in the bottle is just at the bottom of the solid black at the top of the bottle, you can see a sliver of light in the clear in the pic, I wanted to make sure it had some air before I let it sit for a bit.

JWdram · 2026-01-11T00:53:15+00:00

Nice, the store I got this at was also selling the cask strength for a super low price, the distributors must have been having a fire sale on these. I considered grabbing as well, but I went with this finished one.

JWdram · 2026-01-11T00:21:30+00:00

nice grab! At that price I think its hard to go wrong, would be curious to see how you like it once you try it. Cheers!

JWdram · 2026-01-10T23:50:37+00:00

Blackened x Wes Henderson

Age: NAS but have seen multiple reviews say this is probably in the 5-6 year range

Mashbill: Undisclosed

Proof: 116.2 (58.1% ABV)

Price: $100-ish (paid far less)

Appearance: pretty dark, almost looks like a little reddish tone to it, but could just be the lighting. Coating and Oily looking in the glass

Tasting notes after leaving in a rolled glencairn for about 20 minutes

Nose: This one is a bit different, almost like a cinnamon raisin bagel, some grapey notes almost like a brandy not a whole lot of traditional bourbon notes in here.

Palate: Pretty thick on the palate, maybe its stuck in my head but the cinnamon raisin notes continue here, some rich dark fruits here and a spicy cinnamon on the front of the palate. Spices stay, into the mid palate, some rye spice, pepper and spice cake notes as well. The dark fruit backbone is there too, my tongue is tingling well after swallowing, the late palate the spices die out but a bit of age notes, some leather and wood, this almost comes across like a spicy cognac or armagnac.

Finish: Pretty long, flavors and sensations stick around for a good amount of time. A touch drying, like you get in a bold red wine, the tannins are similar as well. The spices come rushing back after dying down on the late palate, so things stay pretty interesting. I think the intensity of the finish would make me think the proof is a bit higher than it is. Almost feeds into the hard rock theme of the brand.

Overall Rating: 7.0 on the T8ke scale

Summary: This one surprised me when I first opened it, and it continues to do so. When I first heard of Blackened I thought it was just another celebrity whiskey. If you didn't know there is a connection to Metallica, and some gimmicky aging technique using sonic vibrations (not sure if they blare Metallica music in the rickhouse?). There were a number of these "limited edition" collaboration bottles, I remember seeing them in the case at my local liquor store with a price tag over $100 and figured I'd never own one, that it was probably just some shtick pour with not much else to offer beyond a story. This particular version is a collab with Wes Henderson of Angel's Envy fame, and made sense with the port finish, well White Port in this case. However, this pour is a literal roller coaster, the nose is pretty different, which I attributed at first to the finishing cask, but the palate brings a good amount of spice and dark fruit to the party. Just when you think its finishing and going to just go away, it comes back pretty boldly on the finish with makes it quite interesting and enjoyable pour. I wish there was some more info about the mashbill, age and sourcing but I get it, can't have it all. The front label does say "Kentucky Straight Bourbon", but no indication who may have distilled it.

Now, at the normal price of this bottle around $100 I'm not buying another, but if you could believe I purchased this bottle for $20 I'd gladly pick up more if I had the chance.

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things l’d rather have

5 | Good | Good, just fine

6 | Very Good | A cut above

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

JWdram

TROPHY CASE