Wilderness Trail Bottled in Bond Small Batch Bourbon (High Rye Bourbon)

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. Having just come from their yellow label offering and wondering where all of the butterscotch aromas from the mash were - this is it. Something about their rye seems truly unique. I would say that their yeast explains the flavors, but for a group that specializes in yeast science I believe they purchase bulk, commercial yeast for most of their own product (based on observing cases upon cases of yeast in their bottling room). The nose on this is loaded with toffee, bread pudding and butterscotch with a slight char. The palate follows suit and has a medium mouthfeel and nice Kentucky hug to it. This is funky and unique and at a young age very closely resembles their mash itself. Being able to tour their mash room and then sip this is truly eye opening. What will time do for this distillate? That brings us to their 6 year BiB offering...

I liked this spirit. The initial taste was a surprise to my mouth. In a word, I would call it “zesty” (even “minty”). The zest was quickly overcome by the sharper spices of black pepper, clove, cinnamon, and a hint of red hots. My mouth was warmed by the flavor profile, and the finish was warm, but relatively short-lived. However, I did notice a subtle, soft, lingering warmth, well after the taste had been completed. This is a BOURBON. I look forward to enjoying again in the near future. Upon adding two drops of water to the Glencarin glass, I found that the small amount of added water really amplified all of the tasting notes, such as the mint, the spices, and especially the taste of red hots.

Lot of people seem to have different noses and tastes coming from this bottle. To me it's just as the mash bill describes (which I love that it's so public), classic Bourbon notes of caramel and oak, but definitely the spicy rye bread comes in on the roof of your mouth. Taste is certainly good, but I didn't really get anything crazy interesting. Maybe I've had too many finished expressions recently but I just expected to have a little more adventure for my money. Also, I'm not the biggest bourbon pro yet but I'm at least experienced enough to appreciate a sturdy proof. To me this bottle runs just a little hot for 100. I bet it continues to improve though as it hangs out w more air.

It's pretty generic bourbon flavor and it shows a lot of youth. I've had better young craft bourbon and there are better mass-market bourbons at less than half the cost. Wild Turkey 101, OF100, and even EWBiB are better. This craft bourbon does not pass the better-than-$12 bourbon test. I will say though that their rye was really good from the small sample I had, but this one is a pass from me. Update: 2nd taste makes me think this is actually a little better than average. I still maintain that it's not better than EWBiB, however.

Nose: Caramel, Brown Sugar, a hint of wood Palate: Clove, pepper, peanuts, leather and tobacco with an aura of sweetness Finish: Short The nose of this bourbon is familiar however the palate gives way to a different experience. There is a sweetness on the profile however it's not your typical caramel or vanilla. Instead, you get an herbal experience full of spices like clove and pepper alongside more wood-oriented notes. It's a fine sipper for those that are a fan of sweet oak, and spices outside of cinnamon.

Nose: butterscotch, little artificial sweet note like a cotton candy jelly bean Palate: tough to pick up some notes…little bready, I want to say the sweet note I’m picking up is butterscotch, but I’m really only getting that on the nose…so, nondescript sweetness Finish: wasn’t a lot of heat the first few sips but it picks up after that Overall: drinkable, but not texting my buddies about this bottle. It’s good.