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McFarlane's Reserve Bourbon Review - Total Wine's Newest 'Spirits Direct' Whiskey
Apr 14, 2025
McFarlane's Reserve is a craft distilled 3-year-old bourbon available at Total Wine & More stores for $22. How does this wheated bourbon hold up against the competition? Here are my first impressions and review.
0:00 Intro
0:28 What's in the Bottle?
1:35 Whiskey History - Who Was Major McFarlane?
2:13 About the Price
2:42 Nosing Notes
3:06 Tasting Notes
3:41 Overall Thoughts
4:50 Is McFarlane's Reserve Worth Buying?
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Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
Could this be your new favorite budget bourbon? Let's find out
0:06
Hey everyone and welcome back to Bourbon Bites. I'm Clifton and today we're reviewing McFarlane's
0:11
Reserve Bourbon Whiskey. So this is actually a brand new product that's carried at Total Wine
0:15
I actually just saw it in the store for the first time a couple weeks ago. I had to pick it up. It's
0:19
only about $22 for a bottle at least in my area in Southern California. And y'all know when I see
0:23
a new product, especially when it's a Total Wine brand, I gotta give it a try and let you guys know
0:27
is it any good? Now, McFarlane's Reserve is a 90 proof weeded bourbon and the bottle doesn't
0:32
actually tell you that. I actually know that because on their website, it says tamed by wheat
0:36
So I guess this is kind of marketed towards, you know, the maker smart drinkers, the rebel yell drinkers. But yeah, it's actually pretty interesting to see a weeded bourbon from Total Wine. I don't
0:46
think actually any of their other house brands are weeded. Let me know if I'm wrong about that
0:50
I think everything else is a rye bourbon mash bill. Now, this whiskey is three years old and
0:54
we do know it's bottled by the IJW Whiskey Company out of Danville, Kentucky. So this company actually
1:01
has a lot of mystery around it. We do know that they don't distill their own whiskey. They actually
1:05
partner with a bunch of smaller distilleries in Kentucky, including Wilderness Trail, Bardstown
1:09
Bourbon Company. So this actual bourbon could come from any number of those distilleries. I've
1:14
heard rumors, now don't quote me on it, I've heard rumors that it may be Wilderness Trail in this
1:18
bottle because they do have a weeded mash bill. It could also be Bardstown Bourbon Company. So yeah
1:23
That news may come out at a later date depending on when you watching this video So let me know in the comments below if you heard anything about where this is actually from But I a fan of both of those distilleries so I excited to see how this one holds up
1:35
So the story behind this is actually pretty interesting. It's actually a part of history that I actually wasn't aware of
1:39
Basically, in 1791, George Washington signed what they called the Whiskey Tax
1:44
And as you can imagine, a lot of people weren't happy about it. So in the summer of 1794, Major James McFarlane and his group marched down there to protest
1:51
And on the second day of the protest, the opposing side actually raised a white flag
1:56
So Major McFarlane saw that and thought, you know, hey, they're surrendering. So he stepped out, and apparently it was kind of a trap, and he got shot on the spot
2:04
So this whiskey is released in tribute to him and what he stood for against the Whiskey Rebellion
2:10
stuff they don't teach you in history class. Now, being three years old and $22 may seem a bit high
2:16
but they're really emphasizing that this is a craft whiskey. So they're not, you know, competing necessarily with the big names that are doing weeded bourbons
2:24
They are taking distillate from young craft distilleries and pricing what I would consider a pretty fair price point
2:30
I mean, $22. You look at the stuff coming out of Bardstown and Wilderness Trail. It's not that far off from their prices. Actually, it's a bit cheaper than some of their other products
2:38
So I'm actually not upset about the price based on the fact that it's three years alone
2:42
Let's see how it noses. Oh, man, that is a vanilla bomb. That's the biggest thing that's jumping out of the glass right here
2:48
There is a lot of vanilla. It's almost like an ice cream. It that strong of a vanilla note Maybe even some like custard or like kind of yogurt kind of notes in there as well Definitely a lot of deserty notes on the nose Not too much of the oak is coming through To me it more of just like straight up vanilla It smells really good I excited to see how it
3:05
tastes. So let's go ahead and give it a try. Cheers, guys. Man, I know I said that smells like ice
3:13
cream, but that literally tastes like an ice cream. Like it's an ice cream with like a caramel
3:18
maybe even like a pecan. I'm trying to think of like what ice cream that would be. It's like
3:23
The turtle ice cream, that's a thing, right? It's got chocolate and caramel and things like that in there
3:28
I think that's what it kind of reminds me of. It's like a sweet, savory, almost like salted caramel drizzled over a vanilla ice cream
3:36
That's the best way to put it. It's very dessert. It's one of the most dessert-forward whiskeys I've tried in a while
3:41
Now, at 90 proof, I think that's actually a great proof point for this whiskey. It's not overwhelmingly hot, but you know with a weeded bourbon, usually those are a
3:49
little more approachable. But I do think this drinks its proof. It doesn't drink lower than 90 proof, which is a good thing in my book
3:55
I just can't get over how sweet and dessert-y that is. I mean, I think if you were trying to introduce someone to a bourbon
4:00
this is actually a great entry-level bourbon, especially at the $22 price point
4:04
It is 90 proof, but I think being a weeded bourbon, it's a lot more approachable than other whiskeys that are similar proof
4:10
Now, we mentioned this is three years old. I actually would not guess that based on the palate. I think the only thing that kind of gives that away is how sweet this is
4:16
It's all the flavors that you extract from a barrel, but not with the oak
4:20
It like you leave the oak behind but you bring out those vanillas those caramels I think that is what this is It is a sweet dessert vanilla bomb it actually makes me really curious to see what this would do at an older age so if it is coming from
4:33
one of these smaller craft distilleries i gotta go check them out because i'm actually really excited i don't think barstow bourbon company releases like a you know general market weeded
4:41
bourbon as far as i'm aware i could be wrong i know wilderness trail does a lot with weeded
4:44
uh distillates so if this is either one of those i'm very excited to try some of their own stuff
4:49
because this is pretty solid. So when it comes to McFarlane's Reserve at $22
4:53
I gotta say, I gotta give this whiskey a thumbs up. It's actually really impressing me
4:57
It's not, you know, what someone that's really far along in their bourbon journey would gravitate towards
5:02
I don't think they're trying to be that. I think this is set as an entry-level whiskey
5:06
at a good price point. And honestly, this is the best Total Wine brand whiskey
5:10
that I've tried. So definitely check it out next time you're in Total Wine, especially if they're doing tastings, give it a try
5:15
I think it's actually really approachable and a great entry-level bourbon. So it's a thumbs up from me
5:19
So let me know in the comments below if you've tried McFarlane's Reserve. I actually don't really see very many reviews of it out there yet
5:25
I think it's so new that not many people are talking about it. So like I said, let me know what you think down below
5:29
I'm very curious to hear what other people think of this one. So thank you so much for watching. If you're new here, make sure to hit the subscribe button down below
5:34
And don't forget to leave a like. It really does help out the channel. And let me know if you want me to do more of these total wine brands
5:40
because I can totally, totally, see what I did there? Did not plan to do that. I'll totally pick them up
5:45
All right, cheers, guys, and I'll see you next video
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