Guidance Whiskey Small Batch Review
Guidance Whiskey Small Batch Quick Stats:
Spirit: Guidance Whiskey Small Batch
Distiller: Guidance Whiskey
Aged: 2 years aged, but this little guy is a newer bottling just over 3 years old
Price: $50-59.99
Proof: 80
About The Distillery:
Inspired by culture and motivated by a deep concept of family and friendship, Jason Ridgel founded Guidance Whiskey in October of 2018. He made a promise to his family back home in Alabama to always pursue greatness. For Ridgel and his team, the word ‘Guidance’ just made sense. It represents all those that came before and those that helped along the way. Guidance can also represent a journey or direction.
About The Bottle:
This bottle is aged for 2 years. A premium adult beverage introduced and distilled in Iowa in a small batch and housed in Nashville, TN. An American whiskey. Guidance is a careful blend of corn and rye with a touch of malted barley. You can’t miss the burnt caramel from smoked barrels. That leads to the maraschino cherry and vanilla base on your palate. This bottle is a 350ml version of the 750ml and bottle about a year after the original release. Let’s give it a taste and see what it has to offer.
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Nose
(3.5)
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Palate
(3)
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Finish
(3.5)
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Proof vs Heat
(3)
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Value
(3)
Summary
Notes & Review
Nose: A torched caramel banana with cedar and crushed barley.
Palate: A spicier palate than what you would expect from the nose. Smokey vanilla with notes of dried all spice and white peppercorn slightly dusted in cinnamon.
Finish: Leather with a meringue vanilla/cherry.
Review:
Guidance is a newer brand in the whiskey world, which is something that comes with high expectations and a sense of where the hell to start? Guidance took the, “Do not pass go, Do not collect $200, go straight to whiskey” approach for their brand. Jumping right into it in 2018 and boldly sitting on their product for 2 years, they came out of the gates saying here we are, drink this, we’re confident this is something we’re going to be proud of. Today we’re going to be giving a slightly older version of their first expression a shot.
We managed to snag one of these little guys on our Tennessee trip early in 2021. It is the same whiskey that is in their 750ml bottle, this one just happens to be about 3 years of age in a newer bottling.
The nose on this is banana and caramel forward. Before you even have the chance to stick your nose in the glass you get the banana note with the caramel accompaniment. To me, it smells like enjoying a torched caramel covered banana in a carpenter’s shop that just finished sanding down a fresh piece of cedar.
Don’t forget, this mashbill has some rye in it as well and incase that slipped your memory from the nose the palate will be sure to remind you. It’s not an overpowering rye spice but enough to let you know that it was absolutely included in the recipe. Flavors of an oak plank held over a smoky fire that used peppercorns and cinnamon for the kindling.
The finish transitions from a smoky pepper to a smooth and slightly dry vanilla and cherry meringue with leather.
Overall the pour is something that Guidance set out to achieve and has done just that. “Guidance is a young whiskey that is rare and perfect for the novice & the aficionados.” That hits the nail on the head for this expression. It’s something you can pick up as a novice for a reasonable price and get a good introduction to the world of whiskey as well as something that a seasoned palate can pick up, knock back and enjoy with some friends.
User Review
( votes)
Orion has been friends with Greg since their high school days.
His love for whiskey grew as he tried different pours Greg was reviewing for Whiskey Culture. And, when Whiskey Culture began traveling around the country, he went with them to document their whiskey expeditions.
Orion now works full-time for Whiskey Culture managing our production schedule and ensuring the quality of our content. He oversees our contributor program, and can be found alongside Greg during their trips to Kentucky either behind the camera, or behind a glass of fine whiskey after a long day of shooting footage.
