Do you remember the Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve? No? Well, don’t feel too bad, it wasn’t around for very long or pushed very hard by the company. It did get a renaming and rebranding as the Rebel Yell Small Batch Reserve before being dropped from the line. Though this specific bottle I bought many years ago and completely forgot I had it till a month ago. I was digging through my whiskey bunker to see what I had in storage to fill out our last bourbon vs rye event and I stumbled across this. Having just picked up a Rebel Yell Distiller’s Collection I thought it would make for a fun side-by-side review and an interesting whiskey for the event.
When we did the reveal at the event (Can Whiskey Drinkers Tell the Difference Between Bourbon and Rye?), no one could remember ever seeing this bottle. It flew that far under the radar. It was Luxco’s “small batch” release of Rebel Yell and carried a slightly higher ABV (5.3%) than the regular Rebel Yell bourbon. It wasn’t a massive success in-market, but it laid the groundwork for their premiumization of Rebel Yell for releases like the Rebel Yell 10 Years.
Sound interesting? I thought so. Let’s get to drinkin’ this dead label and see what it was all about.
Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Undisclosed (Heaven Hill)
Mash Bill: At least 51% Corn + Wheat +Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 4+ Years
ABV: 45.3%
Batch: 2045
Bottle: 84733
Price: $20
Tasting Notes
EYE
Caramel
NOSE
Caramel, oak, biscuity, honey, dried cherries, cinnamon and a touch herbal.
Significantly richer and warmer aroma over the traditional Rebel Yell. Not crazy deep or anything, but a big improvement.
PALATE
Oak, caramel, vanilla cake, citrus frosting, baking spice, dried cherries, hazelnuts and a touch herbal.
Again, the Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve is better than the regular RY ever was and it comes through like a decent bourbon. This is pleasantly drinkable.
FINISH
Medium -> Oak, darkly sweet and fruity fades to herbal spice.
BALANCE, BODY and FEEL
Good balance, medium body and a soft easy feel.
Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve – Overall Thoughts and Score
Warm, fruity and oaky with a nice even profile that slides through the senses… WTF. This right here should be the bare minimum quality for Rebel Yell. Screw the regular release, they should have ditched that one and kept these small-batch releases going with the batch code and everything. Or, abandon their root beer and ginger flavored whiskey and bring back this not-totally-gone whiskey. This is a more interesting whiskey and the batch numbers create a talking point.
I know folks get a bit worked when I talk about whiskeys they can’t get, but the good news on this one is, it’s still out there. Even though this line is discontinued, Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve is not completely gone from the shelves. A quick look on Wine Searcher shows you can find it fairly easily for around $20. So, if you see it for that, and are looking for an easy $20 sipper, this would make a fine addition to your home bar.
SCORE: 3/5
Rebel Yell Rebel Reserve Review $20
Summary
This is a decent whiskey at a decent price that can be mixed, sipped and served to guests. Wish it was still being made.
Overall
3- Nose (3)
- Palate (3)
- Finish (3)
- BBF (3)
