The Last Call

     Smoke Wagon is one of those brands that immediately draws attention, partly because of its striking bottle design with wax seals and etched glass, and partly because of the mystery surrounding its sourcing and blending philosophy. Based out of Nevada, Smoke Wagon has built a reputation around curated blends, often utilizing MGP distillate while being unusually transparent about what goes into the bottle. Unfortunately, distribution is limited, and for me that means a drive to Ohio just to pick one up, but curiosity finally got the better of me.      This release is a blend of two distinct rye mash bills. The first consists of 51% rye, 45% corn, and 4% malted barley. The second is one of MGP’s newer recipes, made up of 51% rye and 49% malted barley. These components are blended together and released at a robust proof without clear indication of whether it is true cask strength. The bottle reviewed here was bottled on September 30th, 2023, and is labeled...

     I received this spirit as a review sample from Dovetail Distillery, linked here . It is important to clarify this did not impact the ratings of this review.           Cutthroat Oat Whiskey immediately grabbed my attention, not just because of the name, but because it leans heavily into a grain you rarely see take center stage: oats. Based out of Nevada and proudly operating as one of the smallest craft distilleries in the state, Dovetail Distillery is the kind of producer that embodies what craft whiskey is all about. Experimentation, creativity, and a willingness to push beyond traditional mash bills.      The spirit is double distilled and then aged in 15-gallon barrels. Small barrels can be risky. The increased surface area means the whiskey can become over-oaked quickly, and youthful notes can be amplified if not carefully monitored. When done right, however, small barrel aging can accelerate integration and depth in a...