Smoke Wagon began in 2012, founded by Aaron Chepenik in Las Vegas.  Over the years they have come to acquire some of the best barrels of MGP around and spring boarded into one of the top distilleries in the country.  Somehow through amazing blending techniques, they always come up with a consistent product for every batch they release.  They've also used their relationship with MGP to acquire quite a few highly aged barrels used in limited product releases, such as Desert Jewel - one of the most sought after bottles around.  

The Small Batch product is their everyday drinker, of sorts.  It's priced fairly well at $55 and is widely available.  The first thing you'll notice is the fantastic bottle design.  True to the wild west of Nevada, a wax stamped seal with two crossing guns ordain the front of a raised etching of flowers on the bottle.  It's beautiful and harkens you back to an old western saloon full of outlaws, miners, and vagabonds.  It looks great sitting on the bar.  

As for the profile, it's what you'd expect from a Nevada-aged whiskey with this style of branding.  While many assume the heat of the desert causes the spice in the profile to be overbearing, the team at SW does an excellent job at taming that through the blend.  Don't be mistaken, this is dominated by a bold rye spice but not so much that it's not enjoyable.  It has what I call a typical "wave" profile that rolls along your palette. The sweet notes of caramel, brown sugar, and vanilla are the initial impression on the front while it transitions to the rye spice and dusty oak in the back.  It's a solid pour that you should definitely check out.  There's not much complexity to it and is a little to rye forward to make the Top 5 $50-$75 rankings.  Nonetheless, this is one you should buy next time you see.