Ransom Spirit Whiskey Whippersnapper

While this whiskey has a corn-dominant mash bill, the malted barley clearly comes through on the nose. Toasted cereal grains, vanilla, freshly baked scones, Penuche candy, orange peel and toasted oak all made for a surprisingly complex nose. On the palate, big oaky flavors are there, but the secondary flavors are a bit more nuanced unlike so many American whiskeys with their big vanilla and caramel flavors.

Maple sugar candy, dried apricots, roasted walnut, cereal grains, plum pudding and dried mint are all detectable here. When the corn wants to move the flavor profile to the sweeter side, the barley malt kicks in and keeps this restrained and subtly complex. The finish offers a nice bit of oak, sweet cream biscuits, and roasted almonds before gently disappearing.