I truly enjoy exploring the craft whiskey scene; some real gems, like this Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon, are popping up in the market these days. These guys, and a handful of others, hold the promise for what the next wave of America Whiskey can be. I’m excited to see that future mature and start to take shape.
Like with the Wilderness Trail Rye Whiskey, this is done in the same sweet mash style using a yeast they nerderd out over and tested long before putting it to work making their own whiskey. And those steps and tweaks show in their whiskey, giving it a unique profile that stands apart from the big guys.
Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon – Details and Tasting Notes
Whiskey Details
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Wilderness Trail
Mash Bill: 64% Corn, 24% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 4 Years 9 Months
ABV: 56%
Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Barrel: 15G17-7
Bottle: 63/225
Price: $60
Tasting Notes
EYE
Ruddy caramel
NOSE
Oak, cherry heavy dark fruit, honey, oak, spice, graham, roasted nuts and grain, cocoa and bits of fruit and spice.
PALATE
Oak, chewy orchard, tropical (banana) and dark fruit, grain sweetness, honey, caramel and vanilla cake.
FINISH
Long -> Caramel coffee cake, oak and toasted bananas.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Great balance, full-round body and an oily feel.
Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon – Overall
Aroma is damn nice with some good fruity notes pairing well with the oak and darkly sweet notes giving it an elegant dessert profile; Palate is sweet and bready but intensely interesting with its delivery of dessert bar meets rustic outing profile; Finish gets fruitier as it goes – diving into a caramelized banana flavor before it disappears.
This is such a unique delivery of fruit and spice in a bourbon. It makes me want to learn more about their process, their yeast selection, their low-proof entry, etc. This is a whiskey that sparks curiosity.
Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon – Final Thoughts and Score
I get that this might not be people’s cup of tea, but I’m fully intrigued by this whiskey. Seriously, WTF is going on with this intense fruit here? Water brings out some more spice and balances it out a bit, bringing me back to an elegant dessert profile with some cinnamon popping in. Wow, this is just… fun. Which is something we need more of in the whiskey world.
And no, I don’t mean garbage flavored whiskeys – those aren’t fun. I mean, new takes on profiles we’ve known. Utilizing new, or modifying standard, techniques to coax out latent or light flavors; pulling them to the front and giving a new perspective on bourbons, ryes, etc. The Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon is a big step in that direction and I seriously hope they don’t stop here.
SCORE: 4/5
Wilderness Trail High Rye Bourbon Review $60
Overall
4- Nose (4)
- Palate (4)
- Finish (4)
- BBF (4)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Summary
A fun, lively and fruity bourbon that keeps the sweetness in check with plenty of rustic oak and spice notes. It’s a uniquely tasty drink from sniff to finish.
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