Remus Repeal Reserve Bourbon VIII (Batch 8) Review

The producers over at Ross & Squibb Distillery (or MGP as I still call it) are back at it again for 2024 with a new batch of Remus Repeal Reserve. This annual release has been warmly received by enthusiasts ever since the 2021 Series V launch. That batch used some of the oldest bourbon stocks ever for the RRR label. After the specs for Remus VIII came out, it looks like Remus V will continue holding that title.

What makes Remus VIII different from the rest? Last year I started doing a little breakdown of the two most important stats for each release in an effort to quantify them. Perhaps you’re a person that likes a particular age of their bourbon, then you might like to know that this year’s release is only the fifth oldest (cumulatively) out of the 8.

Or perhaps you’re person that likes more or less rye in your mash bill. If that’s the case, you should know that Remus VIII contains the highest amount of rye (again, cumulatively) compared to all other Remus releases. *edit: Thanks to Chris H. for double checking my math, changes have been made accordingly Check out the stats below:

Remus Repeal Reserve Series VIII Breakdown

9% Bourbon Distilled in 2007 (21% rye mash bill)

24% Bourbon Distilled in 2014 (21% rye mash bill)

67% Bourbon Distilled in 2014 (36% rye mash bill)

Average Age = 10.63 Years Old

Average Age of Each Series

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 VIII (2024) – Average Age 10.63 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

Average Rye Percentage in Each Series

*note: The lowest percentage possible is 21% and the highest percentage possible is 36%

Series VIII (2024) – 31.05%

Series V (2021) – 29.85%

Series VII (2023) – 28.5%

Series VI (2022) – 27.3%

Series II (2018) – 26.25%

Series IV (2020) – 24.45%

Series I (2017) – 23.25%

Series III (2019) – 22.5%

What else is new for Remus Repeal Reserve?

I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out why MGP does things the way they do. Maybe with Ian Stirsman being a more public-facing personality than they’ve had in the past, we’ll actually get to hear some behind-the-scenes stories about why changes are made the way they are.

The most obvious question for this batch is “Why did they bump up the proof by 1 point?” Don’t take this question as me complaining or anything. I’ve actually been a big proponent of MGP making changes to the RRR line to make it more competitive against the competition. I have often wanted to see them bottle it at the proof that it tastes best at. Old Forester does this with their Birthday Bourbon and it just makes sense. Is this MGP’s way of bending a bit to their own rules? Time will tell.

Now that I’ve broke down the makeup behind the 8th release in this series, let’s see how it tastes. A special thanks to John for making this happen. I sampled this neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: The nose is particularly nice this year with stewed fruits and a buttery note sticking out immediately. At times, the fruit notes smell brighter and more like a fruit gum. Oak and spice scents are softer in their tone, but a bit more fragrant. Seasoned oak, ground cinnamon and allspice stand out. Brown sugar sweetness couples with the distant scent of potpourri making this bourbon smell especially inviting.

Palate: Cinnamon-spiced apples, apricots and cherries are the first few flavors I find. Oak (seasoned staves and varnish) and pipe tobacco showcase the underlying 17-year-old barrels in this batch and make it taste much older than the average of its components would say. Cherry licorice blends with a peppermint mocha latte. There’s even a bit of orange peel that pops up here and there. The mouthfeel is a bit lighter in tone

Finish: The tannins on the finish are pretty well balanced with some tobacco leaf and varnish notes leaving a slight bitter taste sticking to my tongue and cheeks at times. It’s easy to overlook because there are some fruit and spice notes to help draw your attention away. The spice notes are courtesy of more cinnamon and ground allspice. The fruit notes are somewhat fleeting, but they remain. Faint notes of peppermint and chocolate also are nice to find.

Score: 8/10

This is another great year for Remus Repeal Reserve. The bourbon in the blend was especially bright and fruit forward while also retaining an undertone of oak and tobacco. These two ends of the spectrum would playfully swap as the session went on which made the experience seem more interesting.

Fans of Indiana bourbon will be drawn back to the same notes that they’ve grown to love over the years. For the newcomers, I think they will be impressed with the amount of flavor and heft that this 101 proof bottle delivers. This isn’t some thin, basic bourbon like so many bottled-in-bond Heaven Hill varieties or lower-priced ones from Jim Beam. This is what a premium, non-filtered bourbon should taste like. It’s got something for everyone.

Final Thoughts

Omitting the exceptional Remus V release back in 2021, the other Remus Repeal Reserve offerings have felt optional to buy every year. It’s obvious that the recipes change on the front label, but that’s hard to put into words what exactly makes each batch different. This is why I’m glad to see that the product planners at Ross & Squibb have given the green light to a slight variance in the typical proof that this release is bottled at. I think that it’s a step in the right direction to give consumers the idea that every release is different.

Is this year’s Remus worth forking over a Benjamin for? It’s up to how much you enjoy MGP. For me, this is easily one of their best offerings as far as value and quality are concerned. But if you’re looking for something that is radically different from Remus VII or VI, you may not want to get your wallet out just yet. Here’s to hoping that next year’s will show even more innovation and make me reconsider my opinion.