Dark, dense, and unexpectedly expressive — where MGP takes a left turn.
About Open Road Distilling Co.
Open Road Distilling Company is a modern distillery, dining, and entertainment destination located in the heart of Reston Town Center. Built from the ground up to be both a production distillery and a social hub, Open Road blends house-made spirits, approachable food, and layered hospitality experiences under one roof.
The concept is operated by Metropolitan Hospitality Group, drawing on more than 15 years of experience opening and running restaurants that range from award-winning fine dining to speakeasy-inspired cocktail bars. That background shaped a meticulous process of tasting, revision, and refinement — first applied to food and cocktails, and ultimately extended into distillation. The result was a natural evolution: creating a line of quality spirits designed to elevate both cocktails and the overall guest experience.
Open Road features an operational distillery, tasting room, and bonded retail store, offering daily tastings of in-house distilled American Vodka and American Gin, alongside in-house blended Eagle Eye Rye and Independence Bourbon, and the newer Reserve series. Guests can enjoy these spirits neat, in thoughtfully crafted cocktails, or take a bottle home directly from the distillery.
Food is a central part of the experience at Open Road. The main dining room, led by executive chef Edvin Gonzalez, features the full Open Road Grill menu — approachable, crowd-pleasing staples like wings, nachos, and burgers — served in a large, open-concept space that includes an indoor terrace, a mid-sized music venue, an arcade room, and private dining areas for events.
Tucked away within the same building is Heirloom, a more intimate, cocktail-focused speakeasy offering a Mediterranean-leaning menu under executive chef Dane Sewlall, providing a quieter, more refined counterpoint to the energy of the main restaurant.
Behind the scenes, the distilling program is guided by head distiller and blender Michael McElroy.
His extensive background in bartending and cocktail design strongly influences Open Road’s approach to spirits. His wide-ranging tasting experience shows in whiskeys built to be accessible, balanced, and cocktail-ready at a fair price — while the Reserve Series single barrels push further into upscale territory, crafted specifically for sipping neat rather than mixing.
I first met Michael when I won a giveaway with Open Road, which included a private tasting for me and some guests, along with some swag and the Open Road barrel that you often see pictured in my photos.
Stats
- Age: 6 1/2 year
- Proof: 126.62 (63.31% ABV)
- Mashbill: 75% │ 21% Rye │ 4% Malted Barley
- Origin: MGP — Lawrenceburg, Indiana
- Finish: Straight, proofed down
- Release: Not released
- MSRP: N/A
Tasting Notes
- Nose: An immediately rich and layered nose of maple, brown sugar pecan, and custard sets expectations high. Dark fruit — leaning blackberry — adds depth, while a faint woody pine note hints at the structure beneath the sweetness.
- Palate: The palate is dense and almost chewy, coating the mouth with vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Earthy almond-driven woodiness grounds the sweetness, creating a creamy yet assertive mid-palate that continues to evolve sip by sip
- Finish: Deep, mature oak tannins anchor the finish as clove and cola notes rise. The heat builds steadily before settling into a long, simmering burn that never overwhelms, despite the proof.
- Presentation: Clean, understated packaging lets the whiskey’s color shine, and while the eagle is a bit generic, the simple box and overall design feel intentional and quietly elevated, fitting the one-off barrel releases well.
This is a standout expression that pushes well beyond typical MGP expectations. The journey moves from dark, decadent sweetness into earthy complexity, then ramps back up into spice and oak with confidence.
Its profile flirts with single-malt-like earthiness—recalling pours from Litchfield or even bold Texas single barrels—while still firmly rooted in bourbon DNA. A compelling, memorable barrel.
The only bad news? It isn’t released and won’t ever be… this is the last little bit of the barrel at cask strength which Mike pulled before they had to utilize this barrel for blending their Independence Bourbon due to low stocks. I’m as heartbroken as you, trust me.
Distinctiveness
At its core, this is classic MGP bourbon — similar in foundation to the Reserve Series — but turned up several notches into a deeper, darker profile that competes with many 10+ year releases I’ve had from other NDPs (Reveries from t8ke comes to mind).
Layer in a subtle single-malt-adjacent quality through the earthy, almost almond-butter mid-palate, and you end up with a genuinely distinctive MGP example — especially impressive given it’s nearly half the age of most bottles that reach this level of character.
Transparency
Mike and the Open Road team are transparent about the Reserve Series being MGP-sourced, as well as their lower-proof blends incorporating both MGP and Texas distillate (though the specific Texas source isn’t disclosed). While there’s room for a bit more detail on the label, I respect the willingness to be upfront about sourcing at a time when many collectors write off MGP barrels outright—even when, as in this case, they’re genuinely well executed.
Authors Note: Value and Presentation sections are omitted due to this being an unreleased sample.
Buy if:
- You enjoy dark, dense, high-proof bourbon with real depth
- Earthy, single-malt-adjacent notes intrigue you
- You want a genuinely distinctive MGP barrel that drinks above its age
Skip if:
- High proof overwhelms your palate
- You prefer brighter, fruit-forward bourbon over oak and spice
- You’re looking for an easy sipper rather than a slow, contemplative pour
For those who prefer numbers, here’s the full score breakdown:
- Nose: 5.75 / 7
- Palate: 5.8 / 7
- Finish: 6.1 / 7
- Presentation: N/A (sample only)
- Distinctiveness: 5 / 7
- Transparency: 5.5 / 7
- Value: N/A (unrelased)
Bourbon Bishop Rating: 5.63 / 7 – Divine
Top-shelf. Must-buy for fans of the style.
| Score | Descriptor | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 | Hell No | Drain pour. Seriously undrinkable |
| 1.1–2 | Purgatory | Bad, but could be worse. Only in extreme cases. |
| 2.1–3 | Only Earthly | Just okay. Best used as a mixer. |
| 3.1–4 | Bliss | Passable sipper. Works well in cocktails. |
| 4.1–5 | Angelic | Good to great. High value for the price. |
| 5.1–6 | Divine | Top-shelf. Must-buy for fans of the style. |
| 6.1–7 | Holy Heaven | Out-of-this-world. A true unicorn. |
Disclosure: This bottle was provided to me free of charge for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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