Festival tastings are a weird way to evaluate whiskey. You’re standing in a crowd, holding a plastic cup, and your senses are getting pulled in six directions by food trucks, live music, and whatever your neighbor is eating. That’s exactly the situation I was in when I tried M&O Spirits’ Black Double Oaked, a 100 proof double oaked bourbon out of Ashville, Ohio, poured for me at a booth by a guy who clearly knew his mashbill numbers by heart. This isn’t a bourbon that demands a quiet room and a snifter, and as you’ll see.
Quick Take
| Profile: Grain-forward and light, with a touch of sweetness and a little oak peeking through late |
| Proof Management: 100 proof drinks easy — heat shows up late and doesn’t overwhelm |
| Standout Feature: Straightforward cereal character that stays consistent from nose to finish |
| Best For: Mixing into cocktails or highballs rather than sipping neat |
| Watch Out: Doesn’t offer much complexity if you’re looking for a sipper to sit with |
The Story Behind This Pour
I had this one as my second pour at the Grove City Bourbon and Spirits Festival, an annual event that draws heritage brands and up-and-coming craft distilleries from around Ohio for an afternoon and evening of tastings, food trucks, and live music. The guy working the M&O booth walked me through the mashbill — something like 55% corn, 17.5% malted barley, 14% rye, and 10.5% wheat, though the math doesn’t quite add up to 100%, so either he misspoke or I misheard it in the noise. Either way, that missing few percent is probably out there somewhere, having a good time without me.
My wife was standing right next to me working through a loaded bratwurst — peppers, onions, ketchup, the works — piled on a plate of fries. I won’t swear that had anything to do with how light this pour came across, but between the crowd, the food smoke, and the general festival chaos, it’s a fair question. Whatever the cause, this one just never really opened up for me. Not a bad whiskey. Just not a particularly memorable one in that setting.
Production Background
M&O Spirits was founded by Doug McLaughlin and Mike Orozco in Ashville, Ohio, a distillery located about 21 miles south of downtown Columbus. For their bourbons, M&O uses Ohio-grown corn, wheat, and rye, while malted barley is sourced from Canada. That lines up with what the guy at the booth told me about the grain bill. As for the “double oaked” part of the bottle, the distillery’s 53-gallon white oak barrels are sourced from Speyside Bourbon Cooperage in Jackson, Ohio, and M&O’s Char 4 bourbon barrels are designed with double-oaked staves that provide the smoky, caramel finish distinguishing their products. The Black expression has picked up some hardware along the way, too — Black bourbon and Black cask strength both earned double gold in 2023.
Appearance
Amber in the glass, with legs that are thin and move fast down the side. Nothing unusual here — it looks like a bourbon that hasn’t spent an eternity in the barrel, and that tracks with the age statement of at least two years.
Nose
The nose is light right out of the gate, mostly grain, and it just doesn’t build from there. I kept coming back to the glass expecting something to develop — a little caramel, maybe some vanilla from that double-oaking — but it stayed pretty flat and cereal-forward the whole time I was working through it. Whether that’s the whiskey or the if bratwurst next to me ws dulling my senses is a fair question I can’t fully answer.
Tasting Notes
On the palate it’s sweet cereal flavors up front, light on the tongue, and it doesn’t put up much of a fight or offer much to chew on. This bourbon didn’t impress me with layers, it was grain, a little sweetness, and not a lot else going on underneath. I wouldn’t call it unpleasant. I’d call it simple, and simple isn’t always bad.
Finish
The finish is short, with some oak coming through and a late arrival of heat that shows up after you’d think the sip was already over. For me, it was the most interesting moment in the whole pour, a little kick right at the end, like the whiskey remembered at the last second that it’s 100 proof.
Who Should Buy This
If you’re building a home bar for mixed drinks and want a 100 proof bourbon that won’t get lost in a cocktail but also won’t demand top billing, this fits the bill. It’s grain-forward and light enough that it won’t clash with mixers, and the proof gives it enough backbone to hold up in a highball or an Old Fashioned. If you’re chasing complexity in a neat pour, I don’t think this is going to be the bottle that gets you there.
Where to Buy
Visitors can stop by the distillery in Ashville for tours and on-site purchases, and M&O Spirits products are also available at select area liquor agencies, including the Pickaway County Short Stop. Whiskeys are available at the distillery and also in Ohio liquor agencies in central Ohio, and you can go to OHLQ.com to locate the nearest store. If you’re outside the region, check with OHLQ’s online inventory search or reach out to the distillery directly before making the trip.
FAQ
What does “double oaked” mean in bourbon?
Double oaked typically means the whiskey gets extra contact with oak beyond a standard barrel aging, whether that’s a second barrel, extra staves, or a different char level.
Is M&O Spirits Black Double Oaked good for beginners?
Yes. At 100 proof it has enough presence to feel like a “real” bourbon, but the light, grain-forward profile makes it approachable and easy to drink without a lot of intimidating complexity to sort through.
How should I drink a bourbon like this?
Given how light and grain-forward it is, this one does better as a mixer (think a bourbon and soda, an Old Fashioned, or a highball) rather than a slow neat sip where you’re expecting a lot of development.
Where can I buy M&O Spirits Black Double Oaked?
It’s available directly at the M&O Spirits distillery in Ashville, Ohio, and at select Ohio liquor agencies in the central Ohio region, including outlets you can locate through OHLQ.com.
What foods pair well with a grain-forward bourbon like this?
Simpler, savory foods tend to work well here, think grilled meats or something off a food truck at a festival. It’s not a bourbon that needs a complex pairing to shine.
Final Verdict
M&O Spirits’ Black Double Oaked is a fine, unpretentious 100 proof bourbon that knows exactly what it is: an everyday sipper that’s better off in a mixed drink than in a rocks glass by itself. The nose stays light, the palate is sweet and grain-heavy without much complexity, and the finish gives you a little oak and a late kick of heat right before it’s gone. I’m landing this one at 3 out of 5 stars. Not every bottle needs to be a revelation, and this one’s just fine being what it is.
