Jason Brauner is always welcome to come over to my house and taste whiskey, but more so when he brings me a bottle of excellent rye. Buzzard’s Roost is a brand created by Jason and some other investors several years ago. Jason is one of the owners of Bourbons Bistro here in Louisville, Kentucky. He has an excellent palate and has always enjoyed good whiskey. He told me that he is very proud of this rye. They sourced some rye whiskey and placed it in new, lightly charred barrels, but before they did that, they smoked the barrel with cigar tobacco. As Jason put it, “sounds gimmicky, but it worked”. I agree. It is excellent whiskey with a nice hint of tobacco in the flavor. Matt and I sat down and tasted this whiskey the other day and here are our tasting notes.
Buzzard’s Roost Cigar Rye
Proof: 105
Age: No Age Statement
Nose:
- Mike: Vanilla, apples and cherries, baking spices, rye grass, oak wood and tobacco.
- Matt: Caramel and chocolate with oak and tobacco.
Taste:
- Mike: Vanilla, rye grass, apples, sweet cherries, cinnamon, tobacco and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the vanilla and tobacco are enhanced. Tasted with a pecan and it brings out notes of chocolate and spicy tobacco.
- Matt: Caramel, rye grass, dark cherries, tobacco and oak wood. The dried cranberry brought out tangerine flavors and creamy vanilla. The pecan brought out flavors of toasted oats and chocolate cereal.
Finish:
- Mike: Medium long with tobacco, oak and cinnamon spice. The dried cranberry made the finish longer with a spicy tobacco note. The pecan made the finish very long with oak, tobacco and a hint of chocolate.
- Matt: Medium long with oak and tobacco. The dried cranberry made the finish very creamy with oak, tobacco and lingering vanilla. The pecan made the finish very long with oak, tobacco and lingering chocolate cereal flavors.
I would pair this fine rye with a cigar with lots of vanilla and chocolate notes in the smoke. I would reach for a My Father The Judge cigar.
Photos Courtesy of Rosemary Miller