Mike And Matt Taste Oaklore Whiskeys

I first met Tom Boganb and Matt Simpkins at Oaklore Distilling in 2022 when I was in North Carolina. I tasted his whiskey then, when it was still only about two years old, and I liked what I tasted. He contacted me a few months ago and said he had some Bourbon and Rye whiskeys that were four years old now and wanted to know if I wanted him to send me samples. I said yes, I would love samples for review. They arrived the other day and Matt and I sat down to taste them. Here are our tasting notes.

Oaklore Four Grain Bourbon

Proof: 92

Age: No Age Statement

Nose:

Mike: Vanilla, pears, pepper spice and oak wood.
Matt: Caramel, cedar, smoke, raisins and oak wood.

Taste:

Mike: Vanilla, pears, black pepper and oak wood. Tasted with a dried cranberry and the pear is enhanced and a wild berry note comes out. Tasted with a pecan and the vanilla becomes a caramel and the pepper becomes a red pepper.
Matt: Caramel, malted milk ball, raisins and oak wood. The dried cranberry added the flavor of coffee with cream and sugar. The pecan made the mouth-feel creamy with caramel and raisins.

Finish:

Mike: Medium long with oak and black pepper. The dried cranberry added some lingering pear notes. The pecan made the finish long and dry with oak and red pepper.
Matt: Medium long with oak wood and tobacco with lingering caramel. The dried cranberry enhanced the tobacco. The pecan added lingering raisin notes.

Oaklore Rye

Proof: 92

Age: No Age Statement

Nose:

Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, citrus and oak wood.
Matt: Vanilla, cinnamon, pepper and oak wood.

Taste:

Mike: Rye grass, vanilla, orange zest, ginger and oak wood. The dried cranberry added some cinnamon and cherry notes. The pecan made the vanilla a rich caramel.
Matt: Vanilla, cinnamon, pepper and oak wood. The dried cranberry added a cherry note. The pecan added a chocolate note.

Finish:

Mike: Medium long with oak wood, ginger spice and orange zest. The dried cranberry added cinnamon and cherry to the finish. The pecan made the finish sweeter with oak wood and caramel.
Matt: Medium long with oak and pepper. The dried cranberry added some lingering vanilla. The pecan made the finish longer with oak wood, pepper spice and cherry.

I would pair these whiskeys with a Fuente Gran Reserva cigar. I think the vanilla and cedar spice would pair well with the vanilla and spices of the whiskeys.