Devils River - Small Batch Texas Bourbon: MINI

Nose: This is one of the lightest smelling bourbons I’ve ever smelled. It has only the faintest moonshiney/corn smell to it. Palate: The first sip of this was surprising because I was expecting the taste to either be very light or very moonshiney. It was neither. It has a bittery molasses and earthy taste, with a decent amount of rye spiciness. It had almost no heat. The mouthfeel is on the light side. It has a very short finish, but it leaves a bittery aftertaste. I had a hard time with this one. It didn’t remind of anything else I’ve ever had. On subsequent sips, it seemed like the rye spice gets ramped up and, surprisingly, it gets hotter. And, the heat has a harshness to it that isn’t especially pleasant. The short finish seems to have an earthy/woody quality about it, but it is really difficult to pinpoint. And, that aftertaste lasts a LONG time. Comments: There’s just something about Texas bourbon that just isn’t my cup of tea. Sometimes it is easy to determine why, but sometimes it isn’t. This is one that isn’t easy to figure out….especially because it really isn’t from Texas (more on that in a bit). There isn’t anything inherently bad about this bourbon but it just rubs me the wrong way. It is 90 proof, but drinks at a much lower proof. This came from a 50ml plastic bottle and the plastic didn’t help this bourbon any. Total Wine sells a 750 bottle for $32.49. The mashbill is reported to be 75% corn, 21% rye and 4 % malted barley. Internet sources indicate that this isn’t actually made in Texas, but that it is sourced from an undisclosed Kentucky distillery. The distillery uses local TX water from the Devils River to cut the bourbon to proof. AH…..so, maybe it is the WATER in Texas that does something to bourbon….even if it is made somewhere else? The Bottom Line? I wouldn’t recommend this. This distillery is moving from Dallas to a location in San Antonio, just one block from the Alamo. But nowhere on their website do they indicate that their bourbon is sourced, from whom, or how old it is. Considering that they call themselves “Small Batch Texas Bourbon Whiskey”, this seems to be another case of deceptive marketing.