{"id":1714,"date":"2023-12-22T00:41:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T06:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/?p=1714"},"modified":"2024-01-01T01:46:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T07:46:00","slug":"smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/","title":{"rendered":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas (BCA)<\/strong> has closed out the year with a highly anticipated barrel selection: a Smokewagon Malted Rye<\/strong> pick in partnership with Warehouse Liquor<\/strong>. Timed as a Whiskmas release, this barrel also marks one of the first club\/store selections since Smokewagon resumed doing private picks<\/strong>, making it a notable milestone for both BCA members and Smokewagon fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Source: Gary Penna – January 1 2024<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This particular barrel leans into what Smokewagon does best\u2014bold, candy-forward flavors layered with just enough funk to keep things interesting<\/strong>. Early samples showed a heavier, earthier edge, but the final bottled whiskey landed in a much more refined place. The end result is a malted rye that balances sweetness and character without losing personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Three
Source: Gary Penna – December 22 2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What to Expect in the Glass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Drinkers can expect a profile built around malted sweetness, brown sugar, and syrupy notes<\/strong>, complemented by crisp fruit tones and a clean structure. The finish carries on longer than expected, evolving with subtle tea-like and spice notes that linger pleasantly rather than overpower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Priced around $77<\/strong>, this release stands out as a true one-off barrel<\/strong> and an easy choice for those who enjoy expressive rye whiskey with dessert-leaning depth. It\u2019s the kind of bottle that doesn\u2019t stay full for long\u2014and one many members opted to grab more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Gary Penna \u2014 December 22, 2023 (Facebook)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 9th day of Whiskmas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smokewagon Malted Rye BCA\/Warehouse Liquor pick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is one of the first released store\/club picks since Aaron started up doing club picks again. We can\u2019t thank Happy, Central and SW enough for allowing us to be part of this incredible barrel. Parwinder Singh Anthony Eckert Aaron Chepenik cheers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introducing M172. In reality, this one should\u2019ve been named Funkytown. When I first sampled the actual sample bottles, there was some char at the bottom of it and I did detect a lot more funkiness initially than I have in the open bottle that I\u2019m sampling tonight. My guess is the char at the bottom of the sample bottle added a little bit of that funk to it maybe through tannins. However, when they bottled it they probably filtered out the impurities and the taste has improved even more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottled version is even better than I could\u2019ve ever imagined. There still is a little bit of funk, but not as much as initially. Now it\u2019s just a beautiful malted milk ball flavor. It\u2019s so incredibly candy like and sugary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Color:<\/strong> Light Amber
Nose:<\/strong> A little MGP Funk mixed with desert heat has produced a full on Sugar Factory on the senses. Maple Syrup, wet dark brown sugar. A maybe a slight tea note. A little tiny whiff of oak notes.
Palate:<\/strong> Clean and crisp. Almost a sugared apple note hits immediately. Possibly a hint of apple sauce. It starts to give way though once it coats my palate to that malted milk ball note, it just pours on through like a juggernaut of flavor and on the backend a delicious funky brown sugar.
Finish:<\/strong> Pretty long actually, and I detect now what I think is a black tea note. It really finishes beautifully.
Overall:<\/strong> \ud83e\udd43\ud83e\udd43\ud83e\udd43\ud83e\udd43. At 77 a piece and a one of a kind pick, this cannot be beat. I will easily finish this bottle by the end of the week. I bought multiples!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfed Background on the Distiller: Smokewagon & MGP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Smokewagon<\/strong> is the brainchild of Aaron Chepenik<\/strong>, a former Vegas nightlife heavyweight turned whiskey blender and brand builder. Founded under Nevada H&C Distilling Co.<\/strong>, Smokewagon quickly earned a reputation for high-proof, flavor-forward releases<\/strong> that lean unapologetically into bold profiles and distinctive blends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than distilling in-house, Smokewagon sources its whiskey from MGP Distillery<\/strong>, one of the most respected distilleries in the United States. Located in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, MGP is renowned for its rye-forward mashbills and consistent, high-quality distillate\u2014making it a favorite among independent bottlers and blenders nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What sets Smokewagon apart is Chepenik\u2019s hands-on blending philosophy<\/strong>. Barrels are selected and blended with an emphasis on intensity, texture, and balance, often favoring malted and rye components that bring layered sweetness, spice, and funk\u2014qualities that shine clearly in this Malted Rye pick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas (BCA) has closed out the year with a highly anticipated barrel selection: a Smokewagon Malted Rye pick in partnership with Warehouse Liquor. Timed as a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_gspb_post_css":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"yes","_lmt_disable":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-1714","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-warehouse-liquor-main","tag-bca"],"blocksy_meta":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSmokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick - Arkansas Liquor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bourbon Club of Arkansas closes out the year with a Smokewagon Malted Rye barrel pick alongside Warehouse Liquor\u2014one of the first club picks since Smokewagon resumed selections.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick - Arkansas Liquor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bourbon Club of Arkansas closes out the year with a Smokewagon Malted Rye barrel pick alongside Warehouse Liquor\u2014one of the first club picks since Smokewagon resumed selections.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arkansas Liquor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-12-22T06:41:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-01T07:46:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Justin Jones\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Justin Jones\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick - Arkansas Liquor","description":"Bourbon Club of Arkansas closes out the year with a Smokewagon Malted Rye barrel pick alongside Warehouse Liquor\u2014one of the first club picks since Smokewagon resumed selections.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick - Arkansas Liquor","og_description":"Bourbon Club of Arkansas closes out the year with a Smokewagon Malted Rye barrel pick alongside Warehouse Liquor\u2014one of the first club picks since Smokewagon resumed selections.","og_url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/","og_site_name":"Arkansas Liquor","article_published_time":"2023-12-22T06:41:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-01T07:46:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":2048,"url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Justin Jones","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Justin Jones","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/"},"author":{"name":"Justin Jones","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4717d2568afff4fa89c8b3bd8871a49"},"headline":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick","datePublished":"2023-12-22T06:41:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-01T07:46:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/"},"wordCount":717,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4717d2568afff4fa89c8b3bd8871a49"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg","keywords":["BCA"],"articleSection":["Warehouse Liquor - Main"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/","url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/","name":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick - Arkansas Liquor","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg","datePublished":"2023-12-22T06:41:00+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-01T07:46:00+00:00","description":"Bourbon Club of Arkansas closes out the year with a Smokewagon Malted Rye barrel pick alongside Warehouse Liquor\u2014one of the first club picks since Smokewagon resumed selections.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Gary-Penna-December-22-2023-SmokeWagon.jpg","width":1536,"height":2048,"caption":"Source: Gary Penna - December 22 2023"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/2023\/12\/22\/smokewagon-malted-rye-m172-bca-warehouse-liquor-pick\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Smokewagon Malted Rye \u201cM172\u201d \u2014 BCA & Warehouse Liquor Pick"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/","name":"Arkansas Liquor","description":"All Things Liquor in The Natural State","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4717d2568afff4fa89c8b3bd8871a49"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d4717d2568afff4fa89c8b3bd8871a49","name":"Justin Jones","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/511beeccc1b69d17eb6327c63745ab9e5e152516990e9298a923bee0bb0ed88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/511beeccc1b69d17eb6327c63745ab9e5e152516990e9298a923bee0bb0ed88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/511beeccc1b69d17eb6327c63745ab9e5e152516990e9298a923bee0bb0ed88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Justin Jones"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/511beeccc1b69d17eb6327c63745ab9e5e152516990e9298a923bee0bb0ed88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/arkansasliquor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/author\/5e2793\/"}]}},"modified_by":"Justin Jones","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1714","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1714"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1714\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1717,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1714\/revisions\/1717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1714"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1714"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arkansasliquor.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1714"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}