Wheel Horse Whiskey Cigar Blend Bourbon (Fall 2025)

A little background

Wheel Horse Whiskey is an award-winning independent bottler and blender that sources its Kentucky straight bourbon from the historic Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro, Kentucky, a site that has produced bourbon for more than 130 years and once housed the original Green River Distillery, established in 1885. All Wheel Horse whiskeys are blended, finished, and bottled in Rhode Island under the direction of Barrel Master Stephen Corrigan, who brings over 15 years of experience in distillation, aging, blending, and innovative cask finishing.

The Wheel Horse Fall 2025 Cigar Blend is the brand’s flagship limited annual release, consisting of 5-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon (101 proof / 50.5% ABV, MSRP $43.99) finished for a minimum of 8 months in a combination of Port, Cognac, Sherry, and Armagnac barrels. Production is capped at 6,000 bottles.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Gold

Nose

Dark cherries, fig, chocolate, sweet orange citrus, pipe tobacco, vanilla, and toasted oak.

Palate

Orange citrus, plum, fig, dark cherries, raisins, vanilla caramel, light tobacco, and spice.

Finish

Dried fruit, cherry cola, fresh cut pipe tobacco, raisins, cocoa, and toasted oak.

In closing

In the end, Wheel Horse’s Fall 2025 Cigar Blend Bourbon stands out as a boldly flavored, fruit-forward whiskey that overdelivers at its price point. The layers of dark cherry, citrus, fig, raisin, tobacco, and cocoa come together with a pleasantly oily mouthfeel and a finish that lingers longer than expected from a younger base bourbon. While limited availability may make it a bit harder to track down, the payoff is well worth the effort for those who enjoy rich, balanced profiles with depth and character. If cigars aren’t your thing, don’t sleep on this one. Despite the name, there are no cigar-like flavors here, making it just as enjoyable on its own as it would be alongside a good smoke.

NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Wheel Horse Whiskey. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.