Tastes

Nose: Honey, wheat bread Palate: Vanilla, soft, vegetal Finish: Short with baking spices Sourced from Gulf Coast Distillers/Giant Texas Whiskey this Wheated Bourbon comes in at 92 proof and is 4 years old. The mashbill is 75% Corn/21% Wheat/4% Malted Barley. It is pretty much an older version of Crowded Barrel's Sloppy Poncho. While the longer aging helps overall, this bourbon still feels underdeveloped and thin.

Nose: Corn grain, grape, herbal/botanical Palate: Sweet grain and honey Finish: Sweet, sweet This two-year old is sourced from Texas Giant Distillers in Houston and is most likely their 75% Corn/21% Wheat/4% Malted Barley recipe. It is simple, sweet, and youthful. Crowded Barrel says this will be their well whiskey in the tasting room and base for their cocktails- I would agree at best this is a working spirit for mixing vs. enjoying neat.

Nose: Spearmint and sweet wood Palate: More spearmint, spice, rye Finish: Short finish, sweet and spicy Still Austin's rye whiskey is made from 100% rye, the overall profile of this pour reminds me of a very familiar 95/5 from Indiana. Another interesting aspect of this whiskey is it's proof: at only 116 it's only 16 points higher than Still Austin's standard rye which comes in at 100 proof. I would love to side-by-side this with Bulliet Rye, this pour is overall so reminiscent of the classic rye whiskey.

Nose: Sweet caramel, cinnamon apple Palate: Caramel continues up front, and then transitions quickly to cinnamon and other baking spices Finish: Short-Medium, spice lingers on Overall a nice balance of sweet and spice, what really caught my eye with Still Austin's flagship bourbon is it's 98.4 proof. Not only is it a bit higher than other brand's core bottle (which you might find anywhere between 86-94) but it's only 20 points lower than Still Austin's Cask Strength version (which I own and drink at home.) This Texas bourbon is aged around three years now a days, and is an amazingly solid sipper for a brand's flagship bottle.

Nose: Buttery caramel, vanilla, baking spices, and oak with a hint of pepper Palate: Vanilla forward throughout Finish: Transitions to a short finish with some lingering spice and sweet vanilla A great example of craft bourbon done right. The softer, sweeter profile fits right at home as a wheated bourbon. As a bottled-in-bond release, I think this holds its own to similar bourbons from the larger distilleries.

Nose: Caramel, Sweet oak Palate: The caramel and oak carry through before trnasitioning to baking spices Finish: Short-Medium but clean A solid MTR pour, promising but to me nothing that stands out.

Nose: Leather, mint Palate: A hint of sugar and caramel but mostly spice and spearmint are dominant Finish: Medium with a little bit of caramel that tahs along with those baking spices With the benefit of 12 years in wood this rye is absolutely a step above Bulliet’s traditional 95/5 rye. It is fairly valued, but this is simple a better, but not spectacular MGP rye.

Nose: Bright Green Apple, Palate: An initial burst of sweetness before an equally burst of spice Finish: Short-Medium full of more spice and a lingering kentucky hug This is a simple and punchy bourbon. Thin on the body, an ok pour if you are looking for something that drinks strong.

It's a 95/5 - but not the rye recipe you expect from MGP. This is a wheat whiskey made from 95% soft red winter wheat and 5% malted barley. I like to think Greg Metze (who spent 38 years at the MGP distillery) had to go with the 95/5 ratio for old times sake. Nose: A dry cereal note pops out at front, like Cheerios. Wheat bread is also along for the ride. Light fruit and sweet notes shine after: peaches and cream with some nutmeg at the end. Palate: Medium body, vanilla cream followed with some oak and light spice. Finish: Short to Medium, the sweetness lingers before fading away into the darkness. If you like wheated bourbons, you will enjoy this wheat whiskey. It has the sweetness that comes with the wheat in a nice clean package.

This wheated bourbon single barrel is from everyone's favorite wholesaler: Costco! I picked this one up in Los Angeles, it comes in at 113.8 proof. Nose: A dusty caramel note, not as sweet more on the toasted, nutty, toffee side and a hint of oak. Palate: Toasted sweet oak, vanilla, with a hint of fudge Finish: A nice medium to long finish with lingering vanilla and caramel notes This wheated recipe has really grown on me. It's more woody vs. other mainstream wheated recipes. I love the complexity this profile offers and has been a nice sipper to mix things up from the Maker's Marks of the world. Who knew Costco of all places would have such a stellar pick?