Right. Toasted Oak Cigar Barrels. They don’t really disclose what this means on the website, apart from the barrels being air dried in the Vosges region of France.

This is remarkable for two reasons: Why would they dry casks in France before shipping them to America. Secondly, why would you air dry something in the wettest region of France?

A cigar barrel seems to be something like a port pipe, in shape at least. It’s a more elongated cask than a regular barrel and bears some resemblance to a cigar. So there’s that.

Heaven’s Door is a whisky brand that has developed the whiskies in partnership with Bob Dylan. I always get a bit itchy when it comes to celebrity partnerships in the booze world. Most of the products from these partnerships are nothing more than marketing exercises resulting in fairly mediocre booze.

Writings on the internet also only disclose that Bob Dylan has partnered with the brand, but not in which way he is involved in product development. My apprehension remains strongly in place.

Let’s see what the whisky is about then.

Sniff:
A gentle arrival, but with a lot of rye crispness. Basil, orange and a whiff of leather. Almost wintry fresh, if that’s a thing. Pink peppercorns follow after a short while.

Sip:
The palate is sharper than I expected with a lot of peppery heat. Still that orange juice and herbaceous freshness remains. Pine needles too.

Swallow:
The finish is a bit more grain forward, and a little less focused on the typical rye flavors. Some bready notes, and a bit more oak.

This is one of those typical modern rye whiskies that is a tad generic. I would be very surprised if this is not an MGP product, by the way it tastes and smells, and after some Googling I seem to be correct on that.

I like rye whisky in general and therefore this is not something I dislike. But with this clocking in at € 76, I think you can do better for less.

83/100

Thanks to Norbert for the sample!