Redemption Wheated Bourbon

Sweet corn, syrup and some heat on the nose. Smooth and creamy on the palate. Very light on the tongue. Nice lasting finish with a little heat there also.

"Wheated bourbons" have become a hot trend over the past few years. So much so that many distillers are paying attention to this trend and making adjustments. Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits owns the Redemption brand but actually sources from MGP out of Indiana, who distills for the brand according to their specifications. Apparently, this is a new recipe MGP started to distill in 2013 and since Redemption Wheated Bourbon is aged 4 Years that means all those first barrels are finally being bottled. The mashbill is 51% corn, 45% winter wheat, and 4% malted barley. That means if the recipe was tweaked just a bit to add more wheat and reduce corn, you end up with a straight wheat whiskey instead of a bourbon! Most "wheated bourbons" top out at 20% or 30% wheat in comparison. On the nose there's sour fruit, herbs, vanilla, and honey. On the palate the texture is silky and buttery thanks to the high wheat content, vanilla, toasted nuts, bread, and grilled meat. Finishes with charred oak and tons of white pepper spice. Apparently wheat actually gets better with extended aging and truly shines after 8 to 16 years in the barrel. This is obviously quite different from most bourbons on the market. It would be interesting to see how it evolves once older expressions start hitting the shelves.

Starts with a bite (spicy) and has a lingering warm taste. Not a favorite but would have again. To clarify for Kirkgnomics, yes it gets a low rating but, I would drink it again, because, I’m not going to throw out the bottle. Not sure I would purchase another bottle though. I hope that clarifies my comment. :-)

Fantastic. Has a lingering taste - vanilla? Possible Carmel. Smooth.

Pleasing nose with crème brûlée and caramel. Sweet shortbread and white chocolate on the palate, with a bit of spice. Medium finish. Best part of this whiskey is the nose.

I liked this far more than expected. It was after a nice Manhattan so maybe that has something to do with it. But this was kind of nutty and a sweet mild vanilla smoothness. Super smooth and nice sweet lingering finish.