Cinnamon cake | Gingerbread cookies | Oak | Rye grain | Light vanilla | Touch of citrus rind

Cinnamon powder | Rye spice | Red Hot candies | Baked bread | White peppercorn | Dry oak | Hints of lemon

Rye spice | Lemon rind | Cinnamon stick | Dry oak | Leather | Peppercorn mix | Light baking spices | Tingling heat

Started by Michael Myers, a former New York City fashion and beauty photographer, 291 Whiskey is based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The company states that HR, which stands for High Rye, was “first created by mistake when a double dose of rye was accidentally added to 291’s bourbon recipe.” Now part of the company’s seasonal releases, HR Bourbon is released as an annual barrel-proof offering. Like the brand's other whiskey products, this whiskey is also finished with Aspen wood staves.

HR Bourbon is an interesting sip and not due to its backstory. This high rye bourbon contains a slew of various flavors that you don’t normally find in high rye bourbons, and more importantly, does a nice job of taming the over-oakiness that is often found in many Distillery 291’s whiskeys. Opening on sweeter scents of cinnamon cake and gingerbread cookies, more traditional bourbon scents join, along with an interesting touch of citrus rind. This flavor tends to carry through the sip as lemon influence is found in the palate and finish. Both the midpoint and the end highlight various spice notes that mingle well together. An interesting and intriguing bourbon from Distillery 291, HR Bourbon does well to stand out among the company's other whiskeys.

The total number of bottles produced for this release was 734.