Smoke Wagon is getting a lot of attention. It’s a newer kid on the block, and it looks cool. I thought I would taste it next to an old, established value bourbon from the Jim Beam family. Both are 100 proof, both are high-rye mashbills, and both are aged at least 4years.

Smoke Wagon) that bottle... that is a cool bottle. The nose is light, with leather, spice, vanilla, slight funk, and alcohol. The palate is initially hot and spicy, but quickly moves into vanilla and caramel. The rye spice never really goes away though, and the medium finish has more spice and the return of the alcohol burn. It does open up more with a few drops of water. Overall this is a young, but fairly complex, and tasty bottle. $55.

OGD) The nose is more full, and includes classic vanilla, caramel-corn, and a little citrus. The palate is softer than the Smoke Wagon, with caramel, vanilla, oak, and again that subtle orange citrus. On the medium finish there is more rye-spice, with charred-oak, and some sweetness. $25

Verdict) These are both enjoyable pours. In fact, it’s hard to clearly choose between the two. The issue comes down to price. OGD is great for it’s price range, but Smoke Wagon Small Batch is not very special for the $50-60 price range. There are much better bottles at that price... not prettier bottles, but better tasting bottles. But... that bottle is very pretty.