I blame Veronica Mars for this bottle.

I was watching an episode from the show’s fourth season when Keith Mars — played by Enrico Colantoni — was meeting with Clyde Pickett, played by J.K. Simmons. Yes, the same J.K. Simmons who made an entire generation afraid of jazz band directors in Whiplash.

Keith asks Clyde if he’d like a drink.

“It depends on what you’ve got.”

Keith reaches into his cabinet and pulls out a short, wide, rounded bottle.

“Redemption 10-year,” Clyde says. “That’ll do.”

And apparently it did, because the two of them proceed to put a pretty serious dent in the bottle.

That planted a seed.

I had seen Redemption plenty of times before, but I’d never paid much attention to it. Now I wanted that 10-year. Unfortunately, wanting Redemption 10-Year Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon and actually finding Redemption 10-Year Barrel Proof High Rye Bourbon are two different things.

Redemption still lists it as one of its limited releases, so technically it isn’t gone. But good luck finding one sitting around on a liquor-store shelf.

What I did find was its slightly younger cousin: Redemption 9-Year Barrel Proof Bourbon.

And “slightly younger cousin” is probably a better description than “the same thing aged one year less,” because these are decidedly not the same bourbon.

The 10-year that caught my attention is a true high-rye bourbon, made from 60 percent corn, a whopping 36 percent rye and 4 percent malted barley. The 9-year shifts the balance considerably, with a mash bill of 75 percent corn, 21 percent rye and 4 percent malted barley. Twenty-one percent rye is still plenty for a bourbon, but we’re dealing with two different animals here.

Redemption itself has always leaned heavily into rye. The brand dates to 2010 and built much of its identity around bringing rye whiskey back into the spotlight. Its whiskey comes from MGP in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, one of the best-known sources of rye and high-rye bourbon in the country. Redemption’s older barrel-proof releases take that MGP whiskey and give it something that simply can’t be rushed: time.

In this case, nine years of it.

So I went to Shores and found the 9-year sitting on the shelf for about $90. That’s enough money that I wasn’t going to toss it casually into the cart, so I cashed in some points and brought the damage down into a more wallet-friendly range.

At least the bottle looks like it belongs in that price range.

It’s a beautiful bottle — short, broad and rounded, with tiny flecks throughout the glass that make it look more like a decanter than a standard whiskey bottle. The bourbon inside only helps the presentation.

Of course, I’m not drinking the bottle.

So what happens when you actually pull the cork?

The Pour

In the glass, Redemption 9-Year is a very attractive mid-copper.

The nose begins with savory baking spice. My first thought is cardamom, backed by mature oak. There are traces of caramel and vanilla underneath, but neither turns particularly sweet because the spice and oak keep everything in check. It’s an interesting nose because it doesn’t announce itself with the usual dessert-cart collection of bourbon aromas. There’s something more restrained and mature happening here.

Things change a bit on the palate.

The first wave is buttery, accompanied by tart berries. That cardamom impression carries over from the nose, but now some spicy cinnamon joins it. The flavors don’t simply arrive one after another; they overlap. That’s where this bourbon starts to become especially interesting.

It’s complex and delicious, and this is not a bourbon I’d recommend rushing.

Take a sip. Let it sit. See what else shows up.

Nine years in the barrel have also given it a rich, oily mouthfeel that coats the palate nicely and sets up a very pleasing finish.

Some of the baking spice and oak remain, but the finish shifts decidedly toward tart cherries and buttery toffee. Those flavors linger long enough to invite another sip, although once again, slowing down pays dividends. There are layers here that disappear if you’re simply drinking instead of tasting.

And at barrel proof, that’s probably not a bad philosophy for several reasons.

The Verdict

My score for Redemption 9-Year Barrel Proof Bourbon is 84.85.

That puts it somewhere around the top 15 percent of the whiskey I’ve rated. It doesn’t quite reach what I’d consider elite territory, but it’s moving in that direction. This is mature, complex bourbon with enough oak to remind you that it spent nine years in a barrel without allowing the wood to take over the entire experience.

Then comes the harder question.

Is it worth $90?

On my Bourbon Cheapskate scale, which weighs the quality of the whiskey against what you actually have to pull out of your wallet to get it, Redemption 9-Year scores an 88.18. That’s obviously not as impressive as the whiskey itself.

But I’d still buy it at $90.

Part of that is the bourbon. Part of it is that gorgeous bottle. Together, they make the purchase feel justified.

I just wouldn’t go much higher.

And somewhere out there, I’m still keeping an eye open for that Redemption 10-Year High Rye.