Rubicon Creek: The new kid on the block

Uh .... I don't know

This stuff has gotten some attention locally:

Yep, Rubicon Creek. It's being sold by Dayton Barrel Works for about $43. It's a high-rye (21%)  5-year MGP product that's bottled here in Dayton. The name pays homage to the original stream D.C. Cooper used for his distilling operation way back in 1799 (at least that's what the bottle label says)/ Nice story. But is it any good?

Just like anything else, that depends on your palette. I can't find any tasting notes on this and there is no information (that I can find) that gives any hint of the flavors.

Here's what I get:

Big alcohol on the nose, much more than I would expect from a 5 yr-aged, 95 proof product (although you won't find the age statement anywhere on the label. That's what the guy I purchased the bottle from told me). Hints of cloves, spice, and of course, rye, stand out.

The rye really comes through on the first sip. It's has a fairly decent finish of --- not much. The rye and cloves take center stage, but not for very long, It's a thin bourbon with a short finish that leaves heat on the palette but not much else. Even after the third sip, the only thing that stayed with me was now thin this first offering is (and I did get a bottle from the first batch). It does leave a spicy aftertaste I find annoying.

This isn't to say the Rubicon Creek is a bad bourbon. It's not. It's actually one of the better Ohio bourbons, which is like saying scrapple is better than spam. It just, to me, lacks the body and long finish a good bourbon should have. Maybe, with more time, the product will improve. For now, I wouldn't rush to get another bottle, especially at that price point. If you want a local bottle that's on your shelf, by all means, this is as good as it gets. But as a sipper, you might be disappointed. But I bet with the rye content, it will make a mean (and pricey) Manhatten.

What's new on my shelf:  David Nicholson Reserve Bourbon. A love wheated bourbons and this a good one, especially for the price (under $30). It's a product of Luxco, which doesn't say where the bourbon has been distilled, disclose its mash bill, or its age statement.  Luxco brands contain a lot of bourbon dregs --- Rebel Yell, Ezra Brooks, Davies County --- but Nicholson breaks through that miserable trio.

Its website says it's an extra-aged rye bourbon but I get little rye on the nose or palate. The honey and vanilla nose slaps you upside the head --  that should be expected because it is wheated --- but gives way to caramel and toffee. It's a very smooth bourbon, especially for 100 proof. It had a nice finish of oak and butterscotch. Medium body but nice flavor.

This is one that I'll have on my shelf for a long time.