Blue Note Uncut
Overall Score: 6.75/10
Overall Value: 3.5/5
Distillery: Sourced from O.Z. Tyler Distillery
Classification: Straight Bourbon
Company: B.R. Distilling Company
Release Date: Summer 2024
Proof: 117.3
Age: 4 Years
Mashbill: 70% corn, 21% rye, and 9% malted barley
Color: Honey
MSRP: $50 (2024)
The Barrel Bros’ Review
The nose from Blue Note Uncut offers dark chocolate, Tootsie Rolls, and a subtle hint of caramel. There's a light note of red fruit, reminiscent of Smarties candy, and a touch of graham crackers. Additionally, you'll find the scent of buttered waffles or pancakes with maple syrup.
On the palate, this bourbon has a strong profile with a hefty proof punch. The mouthfeel is rich and buttery, like melted butter. You’ll notice a dash of cinnamon sweetness, with Big Red gum being a close comparison. The oak flavors blend well with the cinnamon, staying on the sweet side rather than dry. While the flavors are darker, they don't quite reach the butterscotch and caramel notes some might crave. Instead, it stays within a standard bourbon profile, with more oak than fruitiness.
The finish is where the cinnamon flavor shines, providing a pleasant and unique note to end a sip on. However, the finish doesn’t offer much complexity, with darker flavors and maybe a hint of citrus, like orange. Towards the end of the pour, you might notice hints of cherry cough syrup, so be cautious of that.
Blue Note Uncut is a mixed bag. It comes in hot, with a proof that feels over 125. While it delivers well-rounded bourbon flavors, the complexity might be lacking for some. Priced at a budget-friendly $50 MSRP, it's a consistent offering but may not stand out among other single barrels.
If you enjoy cinnamon and a strong proof, this could be a great addition to your collection, but it might leave others wanting more in terms of depth and complexity.
If you’re looking for specific notes from our Barrel Bros, read their individual reviews below!
Individual Reviews
The Rye Guy Says
Score: 7/10
Value: 4/5
THE NOSE:
Buttered waffles/pancakes with maple syrup.
A bit of sweet red fruits too, like strawberries and cream. Cinnamon Big Red gum after taking a sip.
THE TASTE:
Mouthfeel is great like rich melted butter. A dash of cinnamon sweetness, Big Red gum is actually a pretty close comparison.
I get more oak here than fruitiness, but the oak and the cinnamon blend very well. It stays on the sweet side rather than the dry side.
THE FINISH:
Cinnamon sawdust, but it’s actually a quite pleasant note to end a sip on, and feels a bit unique.
Towards the end of the pour I did start to get hints of cherry cough syrup, so watch out for that.
BUY OR PASS?
This isn’t the first time we have grabbed one of these bottles. They seem to be fairly consistent at delivering a well rounded bourbon at a budget friendly price.
Cinnamon seemed to be the highlight of this specific bottle, which I enjoyed quite well. I have thoroughly enjoyed most of their single barrel offerings!
The Hunter Says
Score: 6.5/10
Value: 3/5
THE NOSE:
Starting with the nose, there’s lots of variety. You’ll find dark chocolate, Tootsie Rolls, and a small hint of caramel.
There’s also a light red fruit note and a bit of Smarties candy, with some graham crackers coming through as well.
THE TASTE:
It has a strong bourbon profile with a hefty proof punch. The flavors are darker but don’t quite get into the butterscotch and caramel notes that I love.
It stays within the standard bourbon profile.
THE FINISH:
The finish doesn’t offer much. You get darker flavors and maybe a hint of citrus, like orange.
The proof hug is nice, but there isn’t much flavor or complexity to back it up.
BUY OR PASS?
I’ve revisited this pour a few times with the same results. The proof comes in hot — I would have guessed over 125 blind — and I’m not getting much complexity off this bottle.
It’s disappointing because I typically love these single barrels. I’ve owned five over the past three years, but this one is falling flat for me.
