Lonerider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon Review

Source some bourbon, finish it in sherry casks and you get the Lonerider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon. Known for the Gunslinger/Outlaw/Western Beer Series, Lonerider is dipping its toes into the spirits world with this whiskey, a stout cask finished whiskey and a Mule RTD. They don’t mention which of their stouts they use for the whiskey, but from the list on their site, I’m guessing it’s their Starry Plough, Pistols At Dawn, Deadwood or some combination.

TBH, I wish they’d sent the stout finished (I know, I know). Sherry finished bourbon and rye is a fairly common thing these days, but beer finished is fairly rare and when you already have a successful brewery it seems like an easy move. Beer barrel finished whiskey is a great way to highlight both products and reuse barrels in new and interesting ways that bring unique and complementary products to the market. I hope they explore that more.

Lonerider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Lonerider Spirits’s Words:

“Spirits for outlaws – we drink to the individuals. We drink to those courageous enough to be comfortable in their own skin.”

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: North Carolina, USA

Distiller: MGP
Bottler: Lonerider Spirits
Mash Bill: 60% Corn, 36% Rye and 4% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak, ex-Sherry
Age: NAS
ABV: 45%

Price: $40*

Tasting Notes

EYE
Ruddy copper

NOSE
Dilly spice, vanilla, citrus and dark fruity sweetness, raw wood with a touch of brown sugar.

PALATE
Dilly spice, vanilla, sherry, citrus, raw oak and dark fruity sweetness with a touch of brown sugar.

FINISH
Medium -> Raw wood, dilly spice, leather and sherry sweetness that fades to menthol.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, medium body and a soft smooth feel.

Lonerider Sherry Finish Bourbon is a sourced bourbon finished in a sherry cask. It’s sweet and spicy but not cohesive.

Lonerider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon Review: OVERALL

I’m not exactly sure how old the whiskey is they’re using, but it’s sourced from MGP and I’ve never had something from MGP that has this much of that young, raw, “craft” profile to it. It’s not overburdened by it, but it’s not something I’m accustomed to in a mature whiskey from an established producer who knows what they’re doing. That said, maybe it’s something else.

Could be the Lonerider Sherry Cask Finish Bourbon on the younger side, like 1-2 years, and that profile mixed with the sherry sweetness is giving off a bit of that young craft profile… maybe. There’s a lot more to know about this before that daisy-chaining of events can be entertained.

Getting back to the glass in hand, the whiskey is neither good nor bad. But truth be told, I’m a bigger fan of the label design than the whiskey itself. It has a great Jesse Treece vibe to it and I’m digging it. Wish I could say the same about the whiskey.

SCORE: 3/5