Cody Road Four Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Cody Road 4 Year Old Single Barrel
(Credit: MRDC)

When an outfit like Iowa’s Mississippi River Distilling Co. (MRDC) announces they are releasing a whiskey that approaches big industry standards for aging, it automatically sparks more than just my interest. MRDC is not just one of the major craft distilleries in Iowa, but also in the Mid-Western region, one of the “Four Kings” of micro-distilling.

So, I was excited when I saw they had put out a small run of four year old single barrel bourbon. Releases of this type point to where the craft sector is going as it continues to mature and find its footing.

MRDC’s Cody Road Bourbon is a “wheater,” made with 70% corn, 20% wheat and 10% malt. The standard Cody Road is aged for a year in a 30-gallon barrel, and this one is an older version of the same. Like other Cody Road Single Barrel releases, it was bottled at 105 proof (52.5% ABV).

The Bourbon
In the glass, the four year old Cody Road has a clear, lustrous and rich orange-copper appearance. A swish leaves a thin, but adhesive coat around the glass, one that drops only a few thick, long legs, and reluctantly at that.

The nose is red berries sweet, seasoned with an herbal, spearmint edge and a little vanilla. The liquid itself sits light, but nutty on the palate, and the flavors came across on the light side as well. Predominant is a certain field-like aspect, where grassiness and that spearmint spiciness are just slightly more present than the vanilla. In contrast to the nose, the flavor isn’t particularly sweet. The finish leaves very little warmth while showing the most sophistication, leaving an aftertaste of spearmint, barrel char and nuttiness that gradually winds down to just the nuttiness.

Despite being bottled at 105 proof, the Cody Road Four Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon is surprisingly light, but not lacking in substance. What it doesn’t do is sit cozily inside what I would call the traditional flavor profile for a bourbon. Aspects of that profile are there, but overall it’s not what one might expect. So, those open to bourbons that lean outside the box should definitely check this one out, and those who insist upon that clearly defined, standard profile should look elsewhere.

The Price
Only 132 bottles were made, and it went on sale as a distillery-only product on December 2nd for $60. Alas, by the time of publication the entire batch was sold out.