2023 Remus Repeal Reserve VII Sneak Peak

Remus Repeal Reserve’s roots began back in 2015 when an extremely small release called “Metze’s Select” came out. Greg Metze, the master distiller for MGP of Indiana at the time, created a blend of various aged bourbon as a sort of experiment. It also helped energize MGP to begin bottling their own whiskey under their own name. The release didn’t sell very well because very few people knew what it was.

2015 was the first and only year for Metze’s Select

Metze’s Select didn’t have a follow-up release in 2016. Instead, the marketing team at MGP scrapped almost everything about Metze’s Select to create a new product. They called it Remus Repeal Reserve to commemorate George Remus, king of the bootleggers. MGP had a team of blenders/tasters sort through various aged stocks of their high and low rye bourbon mash bills until they found the perfect blend. They kept the idea of listing the ratios of barrel ages on the front for full transparency. Actually, this is a requirement by the TTB when listing various ages on the label – you have to list the percentages. Many producers fail to do that these days.

The first four Remus Repeal Reserve series were not exactly popular. Its low proof and $100 price tag was seen as a bad value at the time. For much of 2017-2019, you could still find cask strength, 10+ year old MGP bourbon for the same price (or less). It wasn’t until the 2021 release of Remus Repeal Reserve V that people began to take notice. The combination of aged MGP bourbon drying up everywhere else and the average age of barrels being 13.75 years old made it very desirable. RRR5 still holds the title of the oldest (cumulative) Remus Repeal Reserve release to date. The price didn’t change but in 2021 money, the $100 looked like a steal.

Remus Repeal Reserve VII stats leaked

MGP (or the Ross and Squibb Distillery as they like to be called now) has recently filed their TTB label for the seventh bottle in their series. The stats are:

6% Bourbon Distilled in 2007 (21% rye mash bill)

26% Bourbon Distilled in 2013 (21% rye mash bill)

21% Bourbon Distilled in 2014 (21% rye mash bill)

26% Bourbon Distilled in 2013 (36% rye mash bill)

21% Bourbon Distilled in 2014 (36% rye mash bill)

Let’s assume that all of these barrels were distilled early in the year listed. I’m doing that so that the math doesn’t get too confusing. That means there is a blend of 9, 10 and 16 year old barrels in this year’s release. The math says the average age of the bourbon in Series VII is 9.94 years old. So where does that stand in regards to the previous batches? Let’s break it down.

Every Remus Repeal Reserve’s Average Age ranked from Oldest to Youngest

Series V (2021) – Average Age 13.75 Years Old
Series IV (2020) – Average Age 12 Years Old
Series I (2017) – Average Age 11.5 Years Old
Series III (2019) – Average Age 11.12 Years Old
Series II (2018) – Average Age 10.25 Years Old
Series VII (2023) – Average Age 9.94 Years Old
Series VI (2022) – Average Age 9 Years Old

So Series VII is going to be the second-youngest release so far. Maybe age doesn’t matter though? After all, Series V and VI have also received some of the highest praise from reviewers, yet they’re on the opposite ends of the age spectrum.

Is there anything else we can look at to predict if a Remus Series will be better or worse than its predecessors? How about the percentage of rye in the mash bill? It actually appears as if Series V and VI contain the highest average percentage of total rye. Maybe that’s the secret to their success. After all, Smoke Wagon and Smooth Ambler made their reputation off of primarily using MGP’s high-rye bourbon recipe. If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, here are the two primary bourbon recipes that are used:

MGP Mash Bill Code LBSV – 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley

MGP Mash Bill Code LESV – 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% malted barley

Once they’re blended together, the percentages of rye will fall somewhere between 21% and 36%. Where does that put Series VII in the rankings? Let’s look:

Every Remus Repeal Reserve’s Average Rye Percentage ranked from Most to Least

Series V (2021) – Average rye percentage 29.85%
Series VII (2023) – Average rye percentage 28.5%
Series VI (2022) – Average rye percentage 27.3%
Series II (2018) – Average rye percentage 26.25%
Series IV (2020) – Average rye percentage 24.45%
Series I (2017) – Average rye percentage 23.25%
Series III (2019) – Average rye percentage 22.5%

Series VII will be the second-highest in total rye content. That’s awesome in my book, but most enthusiasts know that the numbers game isn’t as simple as that. The final blend is dependent on the quality and flavor of each barrel – not the age or total rye content. So in the end, we’re going to have to put our trust in the Ross and Squibb blending team to help deliver another banger. Can it match the rabid fanfare of RRR V? Check back in with us in a few months after this release has came out for our full review!