The Story

Sometimes he’s using bottles as puppets to talk to each other. Other times he’s making a Reel where he’s singing about bungholes (in whiskey barrels, we mean). But whatever Aaron Chepenik – Co-owner of Nevada H&C Distilling Co. – is doing, we’re here for it. He has definitely solidified his spot as a character in the social media whiskey loving world with his silly videos, down-to-earth personality and genuine reactions when he’s sampling his blends. And how refreshing it is; we’re so used to being marketed to by whiskey brands, sometimes with cheesy stories about fresh water springs or granddads old recipe found hidden away somewhere. Whenever you see some genuine reactions from a brand (as opposed to polished, spun narratives) it just feels so much better.

And if I could guess, I think that’s the impression Aaron might be aiming for. He doesn’t seem like he cares to hold too much back; sincerity seems to be his brand, and we think that’s a smart move. But it’s not just his fun personality that brings attention to his brand. His ability to blend sourced whiskey has the Instagram world all atwitter. Just a year or so ago, people were clamoring for bottles, inviting Aaron to chat on Instagram live to ask the obvious question: “When are you going to distribute to my state?”.

They’re still not in our state, unfortunately. But when we’re able to take a trip and get our hands on a bottle, we take advantage of that. Thankfully a Total Wine we visited had some Smoke Wagon so we could see what the hype was all about for ourselves.

That brings us to the bottle at hand: Uncut Unfiltered. We know that Smoke Wagon is MGP-sourced, and we also know that MGP has a stellar reputation for aging quality whiskey. So it goes without saying that Aaron has a solid foundation on which to blend. But each batch is different, and clearly he likes to showcase certain flavors and aromas per batch. According to the website, for Uncut Unfiltered they “took the same vintage blending philosophy that we used to create Small Batch, except this time the goal was to create high proof bourbon that tasted its best neat.” And that’s how we’ll be tasting it today, so let’s see how it goes.

Our bottle of Uncut Unfiltered is batch 159c and clocks in at 113.36 proof.

Nose

On the nose we get a decent array of aromas, featuring some peanut, honey, banana and cinnamon with a bit of oak as well.

Palate

It’s fairly sweet upfront on the palate with caramel, honey roasted peanuts, bananas foster and a touch of funk. Pepper spice kicks up near the mid palate.

Finish

The finish is medium-long and adds some nice flavor to an already enjoyable array, including hazelnut and amped up cinnamon notes.

Verdict

This bottle costs us $86.99, and although that’s a bit higher than what some online sources have said they’ve paid, we’re happy with this purchase. MSRP for this one tends to live in the $60-$70 range, which seems perfectly acceptable for what this bottle delivers. We think you’ll be pleased with what this bottle has to offer, especially if you find it in the $60-$75 range.

This MGP whiskey is blended masterfully to create a highly enjoyable tasting experience, so we’re going to give Smoke Wagon Uncut Unfiltered Straight Bourbon Whiskey an 8 out of 10.

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Cheers friends!