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Rough Rider
Distillery: Long Island Spirits Distillery. Baiting Hollow, NY
Age: 4 YR
Proof: 90
Nose: Light on the nose, the rye spice floats out first followed by a modest caramel and vanilla. Pepper, leather and fresh tobacco mix with rye spice, a dusty oak and tiny bit of iodine to make for a light, but pleasant, sniffing experience.
Palate:   Big bold rye spice floods the palate along with honey, red pepper, cinnamon and caramel syrup (like Torani, not the ice cream topping). There is a bit of fruit like those apple pear hybrids and some leather hanging out in the back.
Color: Dark Rich Caramel with hints of copper.
Notes: Long Island Spirits named their whiskeys after the First United States Volunteer Cavalry - the "Rough Riders" - originally organized by Long Island's own Teddy Roosevelt in 1898 to fight in the Spanish-American War. The whisky, sourced from LDI, is a mash bill of 60% corn, 35% rye and 5% malted barley. After initial aging in new charred oak, It is finished in merlot and chardonnay casks from local wineries. The wine casks themselves are washed in local brandy before the bourbon goes in for final aging.