Snickers candy bar | Vanilla | Aged oak

Caramel | Vanilla | Sweet seasoned oak | Cherry | Creamy mouthfeel

Stewed apricot | Plum | Toasted oak | Toasted cinnamon | Rye spice | Light aged oak

Full Ryde Bourbon is an ambitious new American whiskey brand developed by Jam 2021, LLC, positioning itself in the premium bourbon space. The brand was co-founded by former NFL player Jared Allen, along with the founder and host of the Chi-Tucky Bourbon Brothers podcast, Mike Nielsen. For its inaugural batch, their bourbons are sourced from Indiana and Kentucky distilleries and bottled at Middle West Spirits in Ohio. The company emphasizes high proof releases and bold flavor profiles with an overall traditional bourbon style.

We’ve seen many new celebrity whiskeys come to market over the past few years from the likes of Terry Bradshaw, Alan Jackson, Direks Bently, and Jim Gaffigan, to name a few. There is a general apprehension surrounding these types of whiskeys after years of subpar releases. As the whiskey market has matured and is now in a consolidation period, name alone will only get you so far. That is probably why we’ve seen a higher quality level among celebrity-backed whiskeys that have made it to market.

There’s no beating around the bush with this release. Full Ryde Bourbon’s SRP is $295, which puts it head-to-head with many of Jim Gaffigan's releases and is a lot for most bourbon drinkers' budgets. That price, combined with it being released by an upstart company, will instantly put many bourbon drinkers on alert. That’s a big price tag for a bottle that features only an 8 year age statement on the bottle’s label (per TTB regulations).

The bourbon opens with a familiar scent: Snickers candy bar. Characterized by a combination of chocolate, caramel, nougat, and nuts makes it instantly appealing. The palate features traditional bourbon flavors upfront with caramel and vanilla before layering in sweet seasoned oak, cherry, and an instantly likable creamy mouthfeel. The finish brings down the sweetness level, offering more deep flavors of stewed apricot, plum, toasted oak, and cinnamon with a touch of lingering aged oak.

Full Ryde Bourbon isn’t an overly flashy bourbon and stays true to its traditional bourbon style the company claimed it was going for. It features a nice weight to its sip and a memorable creamy mouthfeel. Flavors skew traditional, but layer in a healthy amount of fruit notes that offer good balance and contrast to the rest of the sip. The bourbon is always going to be up against its near $300 price tag. While that prices many bourbon drinkers out, there are certainly many that will gladly spend that on a bourbon if it's worth it. Those that do take the plunge with Full Ryde Bourbon likely won’t be disappointed with it.