Leadslingers is a whiskey from Scissortail Distillery in Moore, OK and its release is a collaboration with Article 15, a clothing company started by Veterans as a way to support their community its struggles after returning to the country they have been selflessly protecting. It’s great to see a local company team up with a company like that and dedicate an entire line of products to such a fantastic cause.
For more information on this whiskey and the distillery that produces it, check out our interview with the owner, Garrett, here.
Company: Scissortail Distillery
Distillery: Scissortail Distillery
Location: Moore, Oklahoma
Mash Bill: ? (corn, barley and smoked peat rye)
Age: 8 months
ABV: 40% (80 proof)
Released: Ongoing
Price: $23
Color: Very pale gold
Nose: Right out of the gate there is a lot of ethanol on this aroma, so I let my glass sit for a good 20 minutes before diving in…ok, ready. There is some nice red fruit on the nose, like cherry or strawberry. It’s definitely got the young, sweet, lots-of-corn thing going on, but there are more barrel notes than I expected (not much, but still more than expected) in the form of dry oak and vanilla. I don’t get any smoke or rye notes, which is surprising given these notes were somewhat present in the Scissortail Bourbon.
Taste: Like the nose, this is a sweet pour with corn and ethanol being the first things to really hit. There are some nice notes behind that first wave including green apples, cinnamon, oak, and a little vanilla. The backing notes aren’t the easiest things to find and you really have to let it break down for a while on your tongue for those to pop.
Finish: This one finishes hot, grain alcohol hot, but once the blast of ethanol vapor wafts away there are big notes of apple and cinnamon, like sweet apple pie. The oak comes back to dry things up a bit, but not quite enough. As the cinnamon and oak subside, only sweet apple is left, which actually isn’t a bad footprint to leave behind.
Overall: It’s obvious this is young, which I expected, but I really wanted more of that small barrel aging and that rye to come out. While I honestly didn’t dislike this whiskey, there were points where it really threw me off, but those moments were always followed with something that helped redeem it which will keep me going back to this bottle as it has more time to open up. I think the rough edges could almost definitely be smoothed off by some more aging, so an extra aging experiment may be in order!
Rating: 2.5/5
Leadslinger bourbon. When is expected delivery to United wine & Spirits. I work for a wholesale distributor in Houston. A.C. CUT RATE. i have several customers asking for product & can’t seem to get confirmation of delivery. I was told 2 pallets are in Houston at united but they seem to not know what’s going on.
This is real frustrating for me & my customer.
The owner of Leadslinger has visited my Customer & stated availability in Houston.
Just bought some – this stuff is awful. Awful. It’s like Evan Williams, only not as good.
I Manage a restaurant in Michigan and carry this product being a veteran myself and serve a lot of veterans I wanted to carry a veteran made product on my bar. I personally love this product it has a nice smooth finish and with more aging i feel all the flavor profiles would come out more. I have had several customers rave about how great this bourbon is and will continue buying and selling it as it seems to be my fastest selling bourbon on my shelf.
Tastes like lead, thats for sure. Good for the Corps!
I find it interesting that there are some folks that do not like this product. I am working on my second bottle and I believe it to be a very tasty whiskey. My son, who was a bartender for over thirty years also gave it high marks, he really liked the sweet flavor. I would highly recommend to anyone, being produced by veterans is the frosting on the cake.
Thanks for the feedback! People will have their opinions, but who cares if you are drinking what you like. Don’t let anyone tell you what to like. Cheers!
It’s absolutely terrible. It tastes like the cheapest whiskey I ever bought but it wasn’t even that cheap. I drank one glass of it and the rest will be mixed with coca cola.
I am a Sotch drinker but I bought this for a friend who is retired Army and is now a consultant for the Army. In other words, i just got it for him as a novelty birthday present. He is a whiskey drinker so I was interested to see his reaction. He loved it and invited me to give it a try. I took one sip and said “tastes like scotch.” There was a neighbor lady at the party – scotch drinker – my friend said try this. She took one sip , mind you she hadn’t heard my comment, and said “is this scotch?”
So I know they can’t call it Scotch but that’s how I enjoy it. Leadslinger rocks.
That’s just what we thought. After some struggling to track down a local seller, managed to secure a bottle and try it – mostly for the novelty after seeing “Range 15” and to support the boys at Article 15. But our first thought was that it tasted vaguely reminiscent of Scotch. So we did a side-by-side-by-side comparison with Glenlivet and Woodford we had on hand (yes, we were willing to make the sacrifice of drinking even more for the sake of empirical research) and thought Leadslingers taste was somewhere in the middle of the two. We even upped our research game by doing a blind tasting with some other whiskeys including (but not necessarily limited to) a single malt Scotch, a blended Scotch, another bourbon, a rye, and a Tennessee whisky we had on hand – the ethanol equivalent of trust falls, I guess. Anyway, Leadslingers typically came out better than average in each flight. And this was all, “the good stuff.”
I’m genuinely surprised by the negative reviews. All I know is that in our blind test, we liked it and, once it gets easier to find, we’ll likely keep it stocked in our home bar.
After a hard days work, when one just wants to sit and relax outside this is the stuff! If you’re not part of the vanity club of high dollar drinkers, you’ll enjoy this one with a good cigar. It’s WHISKEY …..not Pouilly – Fussie , mix it, have it on the rocks or straight. When you’re done with one bottle, go get another!
Seeing a Oklahoma whisky, I had to buy it. Didn’t have a screw cap, that was good, had a very pleasant aroma, it had to much of a grain alcohol smell. Taste was light and flavorful. Will be much better when it is aged in s wood barrel.
Where can I buy Leadslingers in Bluffton, SC?
Hey Walt! We don’t produce or distribute Leadslingers, but I’m sure if you reached out to their social media accounts they could answer your question. Thanks for reading!
To whom it may concern,
I have been out of the Marine corps for about 11 years now. Every year I still celebrate my beloved corps birthday. While at 32 years old I can’t put in the same drinking hours as I used to but on the flip side can afford better quailty booze. Today I came across Gunslinger. My sprit of choice is Jamison. But much like Columbus I took a chance and opted for Gunslinger. Upon my first sip I instantly could here the National anthem followed by the feeling of sweet freedom flowing through my veins and the voice of old Chesty Puller telling me to go forth. From this day forward 10 November 2017 year of our lord I will be strictly a Gunslinger man.
Semper Fi
Leadslingers whiskey tastes like diesel, babies blood, and possibly a hint of Satan’s cum. ART15 probably thinks that’s a good review, but I disagree.
I was thinking more like ethanal made in a lead still, aged in plastic with charred pallet wood.
I love the guys at black rifle. My wife introduced me to the black rifle guys, so I was curious. I am a picky but not highbrow whiskey drinker. ( I drink maybe once a month, so I want it to be the good stuff.). The wife got me the leadslingers for my 45th birthday and I am impressed. Smooth and good flavor. Great for anyone who knows that good whiskey doesn’t have to be exclusive.
after reading the other opinions, I cant help but ask; WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH SOME OF YOU?!?! This whiskey tastes like shit. Its “young”, tastes like it was filtered with an aquarium filter, and aged in galvanized pipe. I like the company and the contributions to veterans, But this is disgraceful. It TASTES LIKE DEMOCRAT
Spot on Fred. I found it to be undrinkable and actually poured the entire bottle down the drain after a sip. I wanted to like it, but it was vile.
I like the story and origin behind this whiskey but have to be honest, this has got to be one of the worst whiskeys, if not liquor in general, that i’ve ever had. For me, the initial taste is bareable as it just essentially tastes like cinnamon but this very quickly turns into an awful, hard to describe, taste. My first thought was, “this can’t be right…..someone is playing a joke on me and put something nasty in here”. I’ve never done this before but after a few hard sips of this I purposely searched the web for reviews just to clarify that I wasn’t the only one thinking this tasted so bad.
I really wanted to like Leadslingers Blue but I’m sorry I cannot. The distiller went way too far into the heal & it has a harsh fusel taste. I tried hard to like it but cant drink the rest of the bottle.
The opposite reactions to this are interesting .I thi k non regular whiskey drinkers or regular whiskey drinkers like it but I think if you are a whiskey connisouer is to much like cheaper whiskey to enjoy. That’s the snob talking . It’s a good crossover whiskey to get people who don’t drink high end as much to slide on over and try whiskey
I bought a bottle for a retired military buddy. He and I are both bourbon and scotch snobs (self proclaimed) I wasnt expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by its flavor. Very “light” and slightly sweet. Not the best I’ve had but an enjoyable drink. I will buy a bottle for myself next trip to the NEX.
First impression was gasoline most likely high ocatane on the nose. But You must power through that and hold your breath cause this thing hits in waves. As the burning intensifies and your vision blurs and then ultimately blackens out completely, the flavors of rubbing alcohol and cheap cologne soothe your throat. Finally just when you can’t take it anymore burnt chimney soot and Ash coat your mouth and you’re ready for anything. Fill her up you scream as you spot fireballs in All directions
Although I have not tried their bourbon, I have had their NAPALM whiskey. Bought this as I was nursing a head cold. The cinnamon level was high, but it had a short finish as if it had not been aged very long. Certainly not the quality level of Jim Beam Fire or Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. As a Vietnam veteran with the USMC, I was sorely disappointed with the lack-luster effort that was put into the making of this product.
Leadslingers Whiskey in my opinion is the quality of moonshine without the proof. It’s not refined for smoothness or even good tasting. It’s a straight up, sloppy face drunk with a hangover to follow.
If you follow the founders of Leadslingers, they too prefer Jameson over their own brand. In most all of their YouTube videos, they drink or display their preference for Jameson. Which is totally understandable, Jameson is a great Irish Whiskey!
Leadslingers is best used as a degeaser, solvent and metal cleaner. I haven’t tried it on my firearms yet. But it works great on degeasing my barbecue.
Stick with your coffee guys! That’s your niche!