Lasso Motel 18 Year Old American Straight Whiskey 750ml

There isn't an actual Lasso Motel — the name is a playful moniker for a new whiskey operation built entirely around sourcing, finishing, and bottling exceptional aged American whiskey rather than distilling it themselves. The brand introduced itself to the market with a genuinely ambitious lineup: thirteen distinct expressions all at once, spanning traditional straight whiskeys alongside a range of innovative cask-finished variants, most built on a Green River bourbon base and bottled at a standard 100 proof. This 18-Year expression stands apart from that base lineup entirely — sourced not from Green River, but from stock originally distilled at the MGP facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (now operating as Ross & Squibb Distillery), aged a full 18 years in used bourbon barrels, and bottled at a considerably higher, genuinely robust 121 proof.

Tastings.com awarded 92 Points, placing it among the highest-scoring whiskeys in the brand's debut catalog. The nose is perfumed and inviting, with heavy doses of brown sugar, butterscotch, and crème brûlée, balanced by dry oak and fresh apple pie that keeps the sweetness from ever tipping into excess — genuinely reminiscent, more than one reviewer noted, of the nostalgic richness of a Werther's hard candy. The palate is lively: spiced vanilla custard, black peppercorn, almond extract, sparkling grape juice, dried cherry, apricot, and orange peel, with a distinctive Szechuan-like tingling sensation that lingers on the tongue. The finish carries that spice for a genuinely long time, moving through singed orange peel into cocoa powder and toffee, with softer leathers and mature oak growing more pronounced the longer you sit with it.

One honest note worth sharing directly: this whiskey's mash bill — 99% corn, 1% malted barley — and its production specifics have led independent reviewers, including Drinkhacker and Bourbon Obsessed, to suggest that despite its "American Straight Whiskey" labeling, the profile and production more closely resemble the federally defined "light whiskey" category (a style dating to 1968, distilled above 160 proof and matured in used or uncharred oak) than a traditional straight bourbon. That distinction doesn't diminish what's actually in the glass — Bourbon Obsessed found "fairly sweet" honey, butterscotch, and dried apricot up front, giving way to capsaicin spice and tart orange peel, closing dry with lingering barrel char — but it's genuinely useful context for customers who care about the technical category a whiskey falls into, alongside how it actually tastes.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Lasso Motel is a whiskey brand built around sourcing, finishing, and bottling notable American whiskey rather than distilling its own spirit from scratch. The company debuted with thirteen distinct expressions across a range of styles, most built on a Green River Kentucky bourbon base and bottled at 100 proof — but the 18-Year American Straight Whiskey is sourced separately, from whiskey originally distilled at the MGP facility in Lawrenceburg, Indiana (now operating under the name Ross & Squibb Distillery), made from a mash bill of 99% corn and 1% malted barley. The whiskey matured for a full 18 years in used ("tried and wise," in the brand's own language) bourbon barrels — a choice specifically made to develop deep richness and genuine smoothness without the more aggressive char and tannin that new charred oak would impart over such an extended aging period. The finished whiskey is bottled at 60.5% ABV / 121 proof.

Critics Reviews

Tastings.com — 92 Points (August 28, 2024):
Rated among the Tastings.com American Straight Whiskey category, alongside notes describing "coper or amber color and displaying notes of caramel, toffee and baking spices."

Drinkhacker (Christopher Null, extended review, "13 Whiskeys of Lasso Motel"):
"Not an 18-year-old version of the 4 or 8 year old whiskeys, but rather an 18 year old MGP corn whiskey made from 99% corn and 1% malted barley. It smells and tastes the part — an old, boozy combination of butterscotch, vanilla, and tons of buttered popcorn. Doughy marzipan is given a bit of nuance in the form of a sprinkle of black pepper, but the finish takes a vegetal turn, leaving things a touch sour on the back end. Old corn whiskey can be something of an acquired taste with its sweet, moonshiny attack, and this strays only little from expectations."

Bourbon Obsessed (extended independent review):
"Nose: Light buttery butterscotch, lightly burnt caramel, honey and mild rye spices. Sweet alcohol. Mild dry oak in the background. Taste: Fairly sweet with honey, butterscotch and dried apricot; tart orange peel and capsaicin spice later on; dry wood. Finish: Fairly pronounced capsaicin spice, tart orange peel; dry later on with mild barrel char, lingering spice and tart orange."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Perfumed and inviting, rich and buttery like a Werther's hard candy. Heavy brown sugar, butterscotch, and crème brûlée lead, joined by dry oak and fresh apple pie. Light buttery butterscotch and honey add warmth, alongside mild rye spice and a whisper of dry oak.

Palate
Lively and layered — spiced vanilla custard, black peppercorn, almond extract, and sparkling grape juice carry the entry, joined by dried cherry, apricot, and orange peel. A distinctive Szechuan-like tingling sensation builds and lingers on the tongue, alongside capsaicin spice and tart orange peel as the sip develops.

Finish
Long and spiced, with singed orange peel giving way to cocoa powder, toffee, and dried apricot. Softer leathers and mature oak grow more pronounced with continued sipping, though the finish can take a slightly vegetal or sour turn toward the very end, per independent reviewers.

Quick Overview

Cocktail Suggestions

Neat or With a Few Drops of Water — the recommended serve to appreciate the whiskey's full 18-year complexity and 121-proof intensity.

Old Fashioned
2 oz Lasso Motel 18 Year · Demerara syrup · Angostura bitters · orange twist. The butterscotch and orange peel character carries naturally through the classic format.