Cinnamon | Brown sugar | Vanilla | Light banana taffy | Hints of ethanol | Light oak | Dried apple

Dry oak | Peppercorn spice | Rye spice | Vanilla | Muddled brown sugar | Leather

Subtle brown sugar | Dry oak | Leather | Touch of mixed dry nuts | Rye spice | Caramel | Lingering warmth

Started by Michael Myers, a former New York City fashion and beauty photographer, 291 Whiskey is based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Bad Guy Bourbon originally started as an experimental wheated four-grain bourbon by the company. Now part of the company’s seasonal releases, Bad Guy bourbon stands out as the only four-grain whiskey in the group. Like the brand's other whiskey products, this whiskey is also finished with Aspen wood staves.

The whiskey opens on notes that make you think it’s anything other than this bourbon’s moniker. More traditional enticing scents waft out of the glass with a slight dose of ethanol present, reminding you of the bourbon’s 120.6 proof. The midpoint finds the bourbon leaning too heavily into its rye spice component and exudes drier and spicier notes. Ending on a more balanced note, the finish finds a nice balance between sweet and spicy flavors, with a pleasing lingering warmth left behind. For the price, I would have liked to see more overall balance throughout the sip, along with more impact from its wheat component. As is though, this is one of the better expressions from the company’s seasonal release line.

The total number of bottles produced for this release was 1407.