The Backbone Bourbon Company is a non-distilling producer co-founded in 2014 by Bill Kennedy and Nolan Smith. The name was inspired by an instance when an Indiana bourbon supplier flaked out on them, citing they weren’t a large enough company to do business with. Bill and Nolan wished this supplier had more “backbone”. This Jay West pick is one of the rare Bone Snapper rye single barrels distilled in Tullahoma, TN at Cascade Hollow and not in Indiana by MGP. I’ve searched high and low for the mash bill used in Tullahoma (not Indiana) but couldn’t find it. I emailed the folks at Backbone Bourbon Co. but didn’t get a response. I even emailed a rep at Diego (owner of George Dickel/Cascade Hollow), but they just referred me to Backbone. Oh well, it was worth a shot. If I ever do find out, I’ll update this review with that info. Let’s get to it!</p
Selected by: Jay West for r/bourbon.
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass, rested about 15 minutes.
Distillery: Cascade Hollow, Tullahoma TN.
Proof: 129.1
Age: 8 years, 3 months.
Mash bill: Unknown.
Barrel#: S343.
Price: $85.
Appearance: Dark copper.
Nose
From the get-go this has the familiar “Dickel” use of sugar maple charcoal filtering. Next is “earthy” rye bread with sweet notes of butterscotch and rich toffee mixed with herbal notes of cloves, dill, green tea and fennel. More swirling and time bring out apricot, banana and dates with a touch of pecan. There is some allspice with a good helping of oak underneath it all. This smells fantastic and complex.
Palate
Oily medium mouthfeel. The “earthiness” from the nose transfers to the palate along with rye bread, rich toffee, cloves, tea, fennel, pecans, apricot and oak char. A burst of allspice enters the sip but never overwhelms, staying in balance with a lot of oak throughout. There is just some heat on bigger sips, but overall, this is a delicious pour drinks below its proof.
Finish
Allspice lingers for a very long time in the cheeks and back palate, along with notes of toffee, black tea and cloves. As allspice slowly dissipates, a heaping amount of leather and tobacco tannins come into focus lingering for what seems like forever. Black tea comes back towards the end on this oaky and incredibly long finish with some dryness.
Conclusion
I think this rye is incredible and goes especially well with this time of year. It’s unique and as rare as its flavor profile. George Dickel sources from MGP for their Rye Whiskey, so the limited number of single barrels produced and sold using Cascade Hollow rye distillate are getting harder to come by. The only other rye on the market that I know of that uses Tullahoma rye distillate, is blended with Leopold Bros rye, in the George Dickel X Leopold Bros Collaboration. Bone Snapper Tullahoma sourced rye has a flavor profile unlike your typical Indiana, Kentucky or Canadian rye. There is an earthy boldness to it (which from comments I’ve read), makes this flavor profile divisive. As much as I personally love it, it may not be a good choice for folks specifically looking for rye from brands like Redemption, Pikesville, Knob Creek, Sazerac and WhistlePig, for example. But if you’re a rye lover looking for something off the beaten path, this might be just what the doctor ordered. It’s a very bold, herbal, oaky, tasty little beast that has become one of my favorites. I hope we see more of these of Cascade Hollow single barrel rye’s down the road.
Rating: 8.2/10
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
