Cedar Ridge
Cedar Ridge
55%
NAS
Released in August 2025 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Iowa-based Cedar Ridge Distillery, Cedar Ridge Anniversary Edition is a blend of bourbons aged in new American oak before being finished in a mix of Tokaji, Ruby Port, Amontillado Sherry and secondary new oak barrels. Prior to aging, the bourbon was distilled from Cedar Ridge's usual bourbon mashbill of 74% Iowa corn, 14% rye and 12% malted barley. It's bottled at 110 proof and has a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750-milliliter bottle.
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The nose is massive, buttery and spice-laden. Lot of amontillado presence. Dried fruits, chopped walnuts, apricot, tobacco, balsamic vinegar, water chestnuts, browned butter, melting wax, blackberry.
Moderate mouthfeel. That waxy note is back — it reminds me of some scotch whiskes (Clynelish, anyone?) — joined by some jammy port, which presents notes of blueberry, blackberry and raspberry, plus apple pie, oak and white pepper.
Amontillado kicks in here with some nutty and waxy fruit character, soon followed by grapey port and a bit of tobacco and leather. Long finish that’s mostly satisfying but leans into sticky-sweet port a bit too much toward the conclusion.
A really cool expression that delivers a flavor profile that's highly unusual in the American whiskey scene, even with the emergence of the cigar blend trend. This bourbon is light and fruity, but the depth of the port and tokaji casks, plus the tannin from the new oak finish, add balance. For me, the port is a touch more pronounced than I’d like, outweighing the rest of the finishes a bit at times, but that's a fairly minor nit to pick. This is an excellent release, and $59.99 is a very fair asking price.
91
Disclosure: The producer provided this sample to review free of charge, and without expectation of review or rating.
