Wilderness Trail Bottled in Bond Single Barrel Bourbon (Wheated Bourbon)

Warm and oaky

Very harsh in palate and finish. Nose has a lot of ethanol burn. Lacks refinement and seems very young. Not a good value at all!

Nose of cherry and sweet fruits. Smooth texture of spices and cinnamon with a long finish.

The original plan was for this to be included with our wheated bourbon tasting now being published. With four high proofers in the mix we decided it was too many and a bib did not fit in. Two days later we tried this one as the weather turned cooler and the looks on the faces as the sniffing began said this is a good one. It's been open for a couple months and still in the top third of the bottle but that oxygen after open has had time to play it's magic. As a matter of continued speculation, we did the right thing holding off on this one as it was 20 proof lower than the others. But it was well worth the wait. I tried this at the distillery a couple of months ago and thought it was only ok as it was served in medicine cups as a covid precaution. The story at Wilderness is a good one and a worthy tour. I was most impressed by the philosophy of 100 proof barrel entry. It is unlikely you will ever see anything from them above 105 proof. While they have some 6 year juice out there most of their stuff is bib or slightly younger. None of it has that edge of the tongue bitterness from young alcohol. The nose on this is wonderful with nougat, oak and a touch of nutmeg. Taste is true and it has the nose and flavors I love. It's moderately sweet but I don't find much a layer down. The finish is short, dry and unremarkable. The oak is a tad underdeveloped at this point so I look forward to trying the six year juice after open a couple of months. This may be the top up and comer in the Central Ky area. I will continue to follow them closely.