This sister cask to our Wilderness Trail Wheated Cask, this one is a straight bourbon classic that offers a fascinating juxtaposition to the luxuriously sweet character of the Wheated. Similar corn bases for the mash bill, but this one showcases rye in stead of wheat, of course. The distillery’s trademark sweet mash style is still at the center of everything, but at a year less in barrel than the Wheated, this is just a spice-driven, punchy firecracker that’s tailor-made to take any Bourbon cocktail to the next-level. Spicy cedar, vanilla pod, and clove lead on the nose with real intensity, and while there’s some heat, it blows off just fine with a little air. Cinnamon, pie crust, and kettle corn soon jump out in clear fashion, but there’s plenty of room for more nuanced notes of burnt toffee, smoky wood resin, citrus potpourri, candied apple, and spicy ginger root. The palate is clearly built on – you guessed it – warming spices all the way through. Red licorice, dark molasses, clove, and anise make for really intriguing complexity and a flavor profile that lends itself extremely well to mixing. Touches of the sweet stuff can be found in background hints of caramelized apple and black cherry syrup, which are perfectly at home on a texture of rich viscosity and great balance. If you’re going to try one, then try both. The kind of idiosyncratic personality we find in these casks is what makes single-barrel bourbon so much fun.
92 points, Andrew Kitz, B-21 Spirits Buyer (Jun 2025)
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