Cedar

What It Actually Smells or Tastes Like

A dry, aromatic wood note -- more fragrant and pencil-shaving-like than the heavier, more tannic Toasted Oak.

How to Recognize It

Look for it in the nose especially; it reads as a lighter, more aromatic wood note than the drier tannic pull of Toasted Oak on the palate.

Flavor perception varies from person to person -- this is a guide for what to check for, not a claim that everyone tasting the same pour will notice it the same way.

How It Connects to Production

Barrel-derived, like Toasted Oak and Coconut -- virgin American oak is legally required for straight bourbon, and how the barrel's interior is toasted or charred shapes exactly which wood notes come through.

Related Descriptors in Oak & Wood

Related Glossary Terms

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Bourbon Styles Often Associated With Cedar

Based on each style's own documented flavor tendencies -- not a ranking, and not a guarantee any specific bottle within a style shows this note.

Explore Bottles Showing Cedar

13 real bottles in our Distillery Directory whose own listed flavor notes include a real, closely related phrase for this descriptor (not the exact wording, but the same flavor family, per our alias table).