This was brought up in the latest episode of Whiskeypedia (a podcast about drinking whiskey and Wikipedia), and as mentioned there – we buy entirely random, and often to our own detriment. This whiskey irks us especially being a slight contradiction and also because it doesn’t even mix well.
(While a pamphlet is pictured we saw it only on some bottles so we’ll leave it out). Honestly, how are you appealing to rednecks at a $25 dollar price tag, even JD costs less than that. If this at least had the virtue of not – being generally average to poor – we’d at least be able to gloss over some shit, but nah fuck this John Rich bullshit.
What they Say: “Bottle Front: A small batch whiskey with vanilla honey smoothness and a subtle oak finish – John RIch
Bottle Back: Redneck Riviera Whiskey is a full-bodied, delicately smooth spirit perfect for when you are ready to git down. It’s a small batch whiskey with bright notes of vanilla, oak, caramel, and a touch of honey. Enjoy a glass, and take a little time to rewind and simplify. #DrinkAmerican. 95% American Light Whiskey Aged 2 Years, 5% American Whiskey Aged at least 1 Year.”
Taste: 5.0 – It begins with that sweetness (if only just a little). You get a puff of the wood smoke before it leads into the actual aftertaste.
Aftertaste: 4.5 – There the smoke and wood take over. It also lingers on the tongue for a good long while – the main issue being it’s not super great, and you kind of wish it would hurry up.
Burn/Smooth: 3.0 – It’s not smooth, that smoke and fire really does burn away. As well given the lingering nature of it, that lack of smoothness remains on display.
Aroma: 4.5 – A tad sweet, but overall okay whiskey. Really nothing too much of note or to write home about.
Honesty: 3.0 – A bit of honey flavor in this actually works, but all of the other shit they’ve written above can go piss in a glass. Cold hard fact, you can’t call yourself a redneck and say shit like “bright notes of vanilla” – we may be from the north but even we know that’s nonsense.
Mixability: 4.83
W/ Rocks: 5.5 – It as expected roughs off some of the sore edges, but it’s not like it’s transformed from a peach into a princess.
Whiskey and Coke: 4.0 – It’s basically nothing. Somehow the worse of the sum of its parts – and bland as hell.
Whiskey Sour: 5.0 – It’s again – fine. It’s fine. Like there’s nothing winning, or killing here – just fine.
Value: 2.0 – No. Sorry but there’s just no justification at that price, hell it’d be hard to argue at half of it.
Google Shop Average: $25
Website: https://redneckriviera.com/
Reviewer Scores:
BuffaloJern: 2.5
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Metric Score: 26.83/70 |+| Metric Average: 3.83 |+| Reviewer Average: 2.5
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Final Thoughts: We’re getting slightly annoyed at this celebrity icon shit going onto a bottle of something that is degrading to them as a person, and degrading to consumers to buy their substandard shit by latching it onto a name they recgonize. This is a fine example of that annoyance.
Doctored firewater.
Picked up a bottle before I read this review. It was priced at 13.99 -50% off which made my decision.
It’s exactly as Buffalo reviews it. Beam is better I knew it was bottom shelf when I bought it.