Distillery: Axe & the Oak in-house and whiskey sourced from MGP
Proof: 98
Age: NAS (minimum 3 years)
Mashbill: Undisclosed
BACKGROUND: Axe & the Oak is a craft whiskey distillery in Colorado Springs, CO. They were founded by five friends who had passion for good whiskey, live music, and the great outdoors. These passions inspired them to launch an easy sipping whiskey distillery. They have 3 flagship whiskeys: this Colorado Mountain Bourbon, a Colorado Mountain Incline Rye, and Pikes Peak Hill Shine (white whiskey). They blend together in-house distilled whiskey that uses Colorado grains and blends it with MGP whiskey before proofing it down with Colorado water. Their rye is distilled and aged in Colorado Springs for a minimum of three years in #4 charred, new American white oak barrels. The finished whiskey is blended with a small amount of Indiana rye whiskey and cut with fresh Rocky Mountain water.
NOSE: The nose is full of sharp rye spice. freshly baked rye bread, spearmint, orange zest, and a hint of vanilla. At first it was harsh on the nose but as the whiskey breathed it opened up into a wonderful fresh, earthy, and spicy nose. (22/25)
PALATE: The orange notes really came to life on the palate in a way I never expected. Notes of ripe orange, cinnamon, black pepper, charred oak, and rye spice are present. Their is a balance of sweetness and sharpness that was unique and drastic. The orange notes were really something surprising and enjoyable. (32/40)
FINISH: The finish was medium in relatively short with a light mouthfeel. There was a good bit of oak, rye bread, and more of those orange notes. (21/25)
VALUE: At $55 for the SRP this is a very fairly priced rye whiskey with unique flavors. (6/10)
Overall: 81/100
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a very enjoyable rye whiskey with a very unique flavor profile that made me think that it was finished in orange curacao casks. We recommend this to those who enjoy unique flavors in their whiskey. Overall, this was a flavorful, bold, and unique rye whiskey.
Similar & Slightly Better Whiskey: Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Rye
Similar & Equal Whiskey: 10th Mountain Rye
Similar & Slightly Worse Whiskey: Tommy Bahama Rye
Tell us what you think and give us some feedback!
Scoring Legend:
96-100: The perfect dram, juice of the gods
90-95: Near perfect, truly incredible whiskey
85-89: Amazing whiskey, will always try to keep a backup bottle of this
80-84: Very good, some minor flaws here or there
75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink, Will try and keep a bottle on the shelf
70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get this
60-69: Decent, would offer this up to non whiskey drinkers
50-59: Not my cup of tea
Below 50: Give away
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