A little background
A first of its kind, O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey is aged in a floating rickhouse on the riverbank of the Mississippi in Ballard County, KY. According to Ingram “The constant motion of the river ensures that the whiskey never stops working, creating an extraordinary spirit with a taste mature beyond its years.” Due to this method of “hyper-charged” aging, they’ve been able to create a more mature whiskey that’s only spent 3 years in a barrel. O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey is sourced from Midwest Grain Products (MGP) in Lawrenceburg, IN and is a blend of 36% rye bourbon and 95% rye, making the combined rye content in the neighborhood of 67%. This whiskey is bottled at 96 Proof and has a retail price of $79.99.
(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)
Color
Amber
Nose
Vanilla, cake doughnut, cinnamon, lemon pound cake, and plenty of honey.
Palate
Very enjoyable viscous mouthfeel. Lemon & orange citrus, cinnamon, honeycomb, caramel, and vanilla.
Finish
Cinnamon, licorice, baking spice, and oak. The finish is pleasantly long and just a tad drying.
In closing
O.H. Ingram River Aged Straight Whiskey is not the most complex whiskey out there, however, it does have a very enjoyable mouthfeel and an impressively long finish. For being quite young at just 3-years of age, Ingram seems to be onto something with their “hyper-charged” floating rickhouse aging technique. Now, let’s talk price. For $80, I’m able to to buy bottles with 2 – 3 times the age of this whiskey that are also bottled at or near cask strength. I understand there are a lot of expenses that go into bringing these products to market, but $80 seems a bit steep. Everything about this whiskey is great, besides the price.
NOTE: The sample used for this review was provided at no cost courtesy of Brown Water Spirits LLC. We thank them for the sample and for allowing us to review it with no strings attached.
Complexity
8.5
Nose
8.5
Palate
8.5
Finish
9
Value
2.5
Thank you for your review. I got to sample this yesterday. My review of it would be very close to yours. I really like INGRAM. I love the fact that they are using the river to give a different spin on this. I also work and live very close to Ballard county Kentucky. My only con is the price. Its all the things you said it is, but 80.00 bucks is a bit much. I do think they will sell it all day long at that price for sure out of state. I just wouldn’t buy it often as there are many daily drinkers that are way under that price. It will be one that I ad to my collection simply because of where it is made and it is actually really great. Thanks again for your review! Anthony Childers