The roots of this whiskey date back to the late 1800’s, when Jacob Rieger started making whiskey in Kansas City, Missouri. While the original company went under during Prohibition, Rieger’s descendants have revived the family business. While their own whiskey is maturing, this 7-year-old blend of sourced corn, malt, and rye whiskies with a small amount of Oloroso Sherry from Spain’s Williams & Humbert bodega is an excellent start.

The nose is aromatic, complex, and smooth with notes of buttered popcorn, anise, honey, linseed oil, dark chocolate, and vanilla. The taste starts off smooth and creamy, then turns spicy with a bite of clove on top of honey, vanilla, linseed oil, cocoa, and peaches. A few drops of water accentuate the sweetness on the palate and the spiciness on the finish, which is long and smooth with a touch of clove. Excellent! (December, 2015)