Old Cypress Whiskey Company - Three Barrel Breakdown

Old Cypress whiskey company is a Non Distiller Producer (NDP) out of Louisiana founded by Joey Faciane. As a prior chef of 20 years, a lead in a barrel picking group for years, and now a founder of a whiskey company, he knows his way around a bottle of whiskey. I strongly believe that having a background as a chef only helps to train someone's nose and palate to the point of being a very valuable asset when it comes to picking barrels out of an available lot. Old Cypress was kind enough to send me three samples from some of their available single barrels. Let's dive in!

Bayou Boogaloo - barrel IB36-001

Bourbon Single Barrel

MSRP: $155

Mash: 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley 

Proof: 112.8

Age: 11yrs 5mos 

Nose: the nose starts with a prominent cherry cola note that I commonly associate with the better 36% rye bourbons from MGP, but this quickly layers in plum, nutmeg, apple and leather. There's a good amount of that rye spice you'd expect, but this has a surprising amount of sweeter fruit forward notes right alongside it

Palate: the palate sees much of the same as the nose, but this time the sweet fruit notes take a backseat and we see much more earthiness. There's a lot of leather and tobacco with a nice dusty barn oak note, the cherry cola becomes a much thicker molasses, and fruit becomes an almost dark berry like spread

Finish: a nice long finish where the sweetness comes back in the form of stewed fruit and brown sugar

Rating: Hoard it (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: This is probably a top three 36% rye bourbon from MGP for me. The flavors presented are perfectly balanced between the earthiness and fruit forward notes. I feel like this captures exactly what I'm looking for when I want something that is complex but also easy to drink. I want a pour to continue to call to me to revisit and dig a little deeper to see what else I can find. The price may cause an initial sticker shock, but it's honestly priced right in line with other NDPs that have a similarly aged MGP bourbon. Somehow this is still available, and I wouldn't hesitate if you're a fan of high rye MGP.

Cherry Christmas - barrel IR95-001

Rye Single Barrel MSRP: $135

Mash: 95% rye, 5% malted barley 

Proof: 113.2

Age: 12 years, 8 months

Nose: baked cherry strudel, the mint aspect of a 95/5 from MGP isn't absent, but takes on a different form by adding an almost menthol freshness that pairs very nicely with the tart cherry

Palate: the nose follows through to the palate wonderfully, but adds in layers of oak, pine sap, plum, lemon bar and marshmallow

Finish: medium finish of plum, cherry, and pine sap

Rating: Buy it (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: This is a really well done rye. It's not overly complex, and there is a bit of a tannic oak mixed with the pine, but it is still thoroughly enjoyable. I don't know that it could have been better named, cherry Christmas nails exactly what's going on here. I feel as if this would be best enjoyed fireside on a snowy day. 

Shoot Yer Rye Out - barrel IR95-005

Rye Single Barrel

MSRP: $135

Mash: 95% rye, 5% malted barley 

Proof: 108.4

Age: 12 years, 8 months

Nose: much earthier with leather and damp soil, a hint of eucalyptus, old oak, black currant, citrus rind, a sweet brown butter cookie sets the backbone of it all

Palate: much of the nose follows to the palate, but with ramped up earthiness even more than the nose. The leather really shines here, and sees more of a rye spice bouquet with a slight mint and baking spice quality, I really dig it

Finish: medium to long finish where the earthiness fades to leave black currant and sugar on the palate

Rating: Buy it (Out of Hoard, Buy, Try, Pass)

Thoughts: Oh yeah, this rye is up my alley. I'm not really sure what is holding this back from a Hoard it rating, it's right there on the edge. It feels like a classic MGP rye, but with a nice ramped up earthiness and nothing really bad to say about it. I think if anything I would just want a little more complexity. But that's nitpicking without a doubt. This is a very high quality and beautiful sipper.

 What's the Deal?: Old Cypress Whiskey Company isn't just another NDP. The entire intent behind the brand is to have small releases, and limited amounts of whiskey. Focusing less on pumping out barrels, and more on having only a handful of very high quality single barrels hit the market. Now, a lot of whiskey companies state this starting out, but so far Old Cypress has stuck true to their word. I'm not kidding when I say that the Bayou Boogaloo is one of the best 36% rye mashbill bourbons from MGP that I've had. If Old Cypress sticks to their guns and keeps focusing on being a boutique and high quality brand, I can only see good things coming from them. I'll definitely be watching them to see what happens, and you should be too.

Want to learn more or pick up one of their barrels for yourself? Check them out here!

https://youtu.be/yS5zIYj8cHg?si=TYwtITf_Ch_eNIzd