Wilderness Trail 6 Year Bottled in Bond Bourbon (Wheated Bourbon)

Ok, this is a case of dont rate a bottle by the neck pour. First pop was bond, cardboard, youthful... and then bang! This opened up nicely and now could contend with Elmer T Lee. It’s no Weller Antique 107 (that’s what makers 46 CS is for). This is very good though for being only 6 years. This is a group that I’ve wanted to support for some time. That said, I’m not a fan of most wheated bourbons as the tend to fall flat for me. 6 year bottled in bond, 100 proof, 64/24/12 wheated mashbill Color: light to medium Body: in the glass it has a medium-thin appearance with sparse, thin quick legs. On the tongue it’s light, no burn but also doesn’t coat the mouth in any way, not drying Aroma: loads of wet wood, a bit of vanilla and some sour apple follow Taste: brown tobacco, allspice, a bit of barrel char, Granny Smith apple, vanilla, more oak Finish: mild tingle on the tongue but no heat on the mouth or chest, largely earthy with a hint of sour apple and vanilla What it’s not: - a great value? (but what is these days?) - full bodied or oily - especially complex What it is: - a craft, wheated whiskey - approachable and all day drinkable - light, slightly fruity with plenty of balanced oak, sweetness and just enough spice to keep it interesting I would put this up against Blade and Bow as well as Bernheim Wheat whiskey. It’s not as full bodied as a cask strength makers 46, nor is it as robust. The flavor:value ratio strongly supports Bernheim at $30. This is more well rounded as B&B, and if your willing to shell out another $15 to support a craft distiller then go for it. It kicks the pants off of Weller SR but at more than 3x the shelf price it should! Would possibly take down Elmer as well. The more I drink it the more I understand it. It’s a departure from the cask strength behemoths I’ve sought after but certainly is pleasant!

Neat. Neck pour. Surprised this find this in my area today. I thought it was a distillery only release still. Next to New Riff, Wilderness Trail is my favorite of the young distilleries. I liked all their releases and have had some great single barrels this far. Excited to see what an extra two years has to offer. A very very rich caramel leads the nose. Surrounded by a honey graham cracker crust. Hint of pepper. Bit of peach with cinnamon. A deep leather. Nothing really standing out or drawing me in. It’s nice but just okay. Nice thick texture. Really coats. Super dark on the tongue. Cinnamon and leather. More bitter and tannic than sweet initially. That rich caramel stands strong throughout this entire experience. I mean strong. Calling it a caramel bomb doesn’t do it justice. That is the most intense and unwavering caramel note I have ever had. It lasts for minutes after the sip too. Starting to get a hint of oak up front now. Gosh it is just caramel. Oak turns into a hint of chocolate on the legs. Okay, I am starting to get that honey and graham cracker crust too. This is intense flavor. I was not prepared for that off the nose. My eyes are even watering. Once that note hits it does not relent for a solid 10 seconds but then when it wavers it still takes forever to go away. I’m not sure what to think of this. I am drawn to it but maybe not enjoying it. But I want more. Going to let this open up before revisiting.

I like what Wilderness Trail has brought to the table so far with their expressions; let’s see how this new one measures up. Nose is loaded with caramel, with some “new car seat” leather, pepper, clove, and a hint of char. Lack of ethanol a nice bonus. On the palate we get caramel, nougat, cashew nut, and nutmeg, with just enough oak note underneath to keep it from being cloying. Flavors are rounded rather than punchy. Finish finds the clove from the nose along with a spice bloom of cinnamon and allspice. The transition is smooth, but the finish is shorter than I would have liked. Mouthfeel is great; chewy and coating. Quite possibly the best part about this bourbon. So here’s the rub: while this is less sweet and less spikey than the four year version, I’m not 100% sold that this is an improvement for this flavor profile. I just found it to be a little flat. There’s nothing here that sucks mind you; but when you consider the upcharge of about $20 over the 4 yr expression, I just don’t see myself buying this again.

Without a way to thread posts on Distiller I will point out that this is part of a series of posts regarding Bulleit, Wilderness Trail and James E. Pepper distillery tours. Public service announcement - this 6 year offering isn't delineated on Distiller (that I can tell) but both a high rye and wheated BiB bourbon are available. I previously splurged on the wheated BiB and didn't love it at first but it grew on me and is an improvement over their 4 year offering with more char and well structured oak notes. This review is on the 24% rye, 6-year BiB offering. It basically takes their 4-year, 24% rye offering and adds more banana, toffee and rye notes while still carrying through the butterscotch and oak char. If anything I'm a bit disappointed that the oak isn't more developed and that the banana esters shot up. For the money I would stick with their 4 year offering and check back when they release their 8 year BiB version in another year or so. As for their rye...

Butterscotch, Snickerdoodle Cookies, fruity, minty, herbal, leather, and oak on the nose. Fruit leans more toward cherry and lemon with mint, butterscotch and milk chocolate. The leathery oak comes very welcomely at the end of the interesting nose. Wouldn't necessarily have guessed wheated blindly but a very enjoyable nose. Caramel, mint, orange, and cherry come quickly on the palate. Light and smooth on the tongue with a nice texture to the Bourbon. The wheat has kept the flavor and smoothness very in tune for the style and although the nose didn't scream wheat to me, the palate surely does. Really delectable bourbon. I just want to keep drinking it and it is easy to drink. Finish last longer than I expected too although it isn't as much of a standout than the nose and palate. Overall a very nice wheated bourbon and a nice surprise

This stuff is awesome! I’ve been a wilderness trail ever since I had my first glencairn of small batch BIB, the day it showed up at my total wine… and this is honestly a worthwhile step up. Is it 80$ for a 6 year BiB?…. Yes… so what! It is absolutely beautiful. Awesome balance of wheat, slight spice, but man that finish lasts forever with beautiful warming heat. There is so much about this that makes it a solid everyday pour. I look at wilderness trail bottles as a young VERY talented distillery, that is making some serious corn juice and can only improve as they develop their craft.