Oak | Dried tobacco leaf | Baking spices | Marzipan | Dried cherry | Dab of ethanol

Tannic oak | Leather | Green peppercorn | Rye spice | Baking spices

Dry oak | Leather | Rye spice | Faint cinnamon powder | Incredibly dry

Augusta Distillery has made a name for themselves sourcing high aged bourbon and, more recently, their “Buff Turkey” releases. The company expanded its portfolio in 2026 with two new cask strength expressions: Small Batch Bourbon and a Wheated Single Barrel Bourbon. The company states that each batch of their Small Batch Bourbon is created from eight or fewer barrels.

For the batch in review, the resulting flavor profile is one that focuses on heavy oak notes and an overreaching dryness quality. It starts with an aroma that blends scents of oak and dried tobacco leaf with marzipan and dried cherry, while a dab of ethanol surfaces through them all. The midpoint focuses on heavy tannic oak and leather, along with various spices. It’s this tannic oak note that signals things are about to take a turn, and as the sip comes to a close, the finish morphs into an incredibly dry mixture of heavy dry oak, leather, and rye spice.

Small batch bourbons have no legal definition; however, it’s notable that Augusta Distillery is keeping each batch to only eight barrels or fewer. This could potentially result in significant variation by batch. This can be both a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the batch you buy. While this particular batch starts off with an intriguing nose, the palate and finish can’t keep up, as the whiskey indexes too heavily on tannic oak and an incredibly dry lasting impression, resulting in a subpar sip.

The bourbon in review is batch number 26-03.