Welcome to Taste Test, where every week our critic Jonah Flicker explores the most buzzworthy and interesting whiskeys in the world. Check back each Sunday for his latest whiskey review.
As we reported recently, Indiana distillery MGP, a major source of whiskey for non-distilling producers, is scaling back on production this year because of the softening market for American spirits. That’s not great news for the whiskey industry overall, and probably not what you want to hear if you’re a start-up brand looking for whiskey to put in bottles (although there are many other options now, including Kentucky’s Bardstown Bourbon Company, that offer contract distilling). Despite that news, the distillery is still producing some excellent rye and bourbon and releasing it under its own labels, and the latest is the superb new edition of the high-end Remus Gatsby Reserve.
MGP acquired St. Louis spirits company Luxco in 2021, so there are now a few other brands and distilleries that are part of its corporate family, and it created the Ross & Squibb name to release its in-house produced brands like Remus and Rossville Union. MGP also acquired Penelope Bourbon in 2023, a successful brand that has sourced its bourbon from the distillery for years. Given all of these moves, the news about the slowdown of whiskey production surprised some and seemed like an inevitable outcome to others.
The fact that I like the new Remus Gatsby Reserve should come as no surprise given the praise I’ve lavished upon past releases (even naming the 2023 edition one of the most best bourbons of the 21st century so far), but that’s no guarantee that this new expression would live up to its reputation. It’s easy to get carried away with superlatives, but the fact is that the 2024 release is incredibly delicious. It’s a 15-year-old bourbon, which is old by some standards but in the sweet spot for more mature bourbon in my opinion (look at recent releases from Knob Creek, Russell’s Reserve, and Four Roses for proof).
Remus Gatsby Reserve, which is named after the novel The Great Gatsby, is made from a combination of two mashbills (MGP has many to work with), each with a different rye percentage: 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye, 4 percent malted barley; and 60 percent corn, 36 percent rye, 4 percent malted barley. The whiskey is bottled at 104.9 proof, giving it some nice heat but nothing your palate can’t handle. This is a rich, deep, complex bourbon, with big notes of stone fruit, candied cherry, black pepper, vanilla, caramel, and a notable (and surprising) banana note on the palate that kind of reminds me of an older Jack Daniel’s expression.
MGP might be heeding the warning signs of a slowing whiskey market, but the price of this bourbon increased by about 30 bucks from last year’s release (the SRP is $230). Will consumers be willing to pay a premium for a bottle from a distillery better known for supplying other brands with whiskey? That remains to be seen, but this year could mark a change in buying habits if the forecasts are accurate. Still, if you do decide to splurge on this outstanding new bourbon, I don’t think you’ll suffer any buyer’s remorse.
Score: 96
- 100 Worth trading your first born for
- 95 – 99 In the Pantheon: A trophy for the cabinet
- 90 – 94 Great: An excited nod from friends when you pour them a dram
- 85 – 89 Very Good: Delicious enough to buy, but not quite special enough to chase on the secondary market
- 80 – 84 Good: More of your everyday drinker, solid and reliable
- Below 80 It’s alright: Honestly, we probably won’t waste your time and ours with this
