Caught on COLA - Bourbon

I'm back with the latest edition of  Caught on COLA - Bourbon and there are some interesting selections in this edition. So let's do some COLA snooping and see what is on the way.

First up is Flying Leap Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Flying Leap Vineyards & Distillery in Arizona. This bourbon is a sweet corn mash that is distilled at the vineyard located just south of Tuscon. It is then aged for at least two years in the vineyards barrelhouse in heavily charred new American oak casks before being bottled at 80 proof (40% Alc./Vol.). A check of Flying Leap's website shows plenty of delicious looking spirits, including cask-aged brandy, Nachbrenner (a spiced brandy from cask-aged eaux-de-vie), grape distilled vodka, arancello and even grappa. But there is no mention yet of their bourbon so, as usual, I don't have a release date.

I included this next label because it is a wheat whiskey and, well, I am just a sucker for wheaters. Let me introduce you to California's own Drift Distillery's Single Barrel Wheat Whiskey. Distilled in San Clemente from Kansas wheat raised on Drift's family farm, this 102 proof (51% Alc./Vol.) whiskey is very young, being only aged for one year. Checking Drift's website, they feature gin, vodka, rum and an unaged wheat whiskey but no mention of the Single Barrel so we will just have to wait and see when it gets released.

Ft. Wayne, Indiana's own Three Rivers Distilling Co. brings us Old Fort Bourbon Whiskey. This 90 proof (45% Alc./Vol.) young bourbon (aged for 12 months according to the label) joins TRDC's wheated bourbon and rye whiskey in what is beginning to be a wide selection of spirits. Checking their website reveals no mention of the release yet so we have to wait and see again.

Next we look at Coit Spirits Indiana Straight Bourbon from Coit Spirits Distilling in California. According to the their website, this four-grain high rye bourbon is distilled in Indiana (read sourced from MGP) and then slow aged on site in California for over two years according to the label. The high rye juice is mellowed with the addition of wheat and barley to round out this "unique whiskey." The whiskey is already listed on their website so I'm guessing that it is already available but I'm not sure.

Canned cocktail producer 503 Distilling from Portland, Oregon is getting ready to offer up The Gambler 500 Whiskey, a small batch 80 proof (40% Alc./Vol.) craft whiskey that challenges you to "Buck Tradition." So far they don't seem to mention it on their website, but the folks in the Northwest need to be on the lookout for this.

Blaum Bros. of Knotter Bourbon fame are back with Blaum Bros. Distilling Co. Straight Rye Whiskey. According to the label, this is Blaum's very own juice inside and they bottled it at 100 proof (50% Alc./Vol.). No mention on their site yet and I know it's not bourbon but... it's Blaum Bros. and that's enough for me.

Boot Hill Distillery's Straight Bourbon Whiskey from Dodge City, Kansas is our next label. This bourbon is distilled on site, bottled at 100 proof (50% Alc./Vol.) and aged for three years (according to the label). There website mentions the release (sort of) and only gives a release date of Spring 2019 so it could see the light of day anytime now

Joining the likes of Old Grand-Dad and Old Overholt in the Olds Whiskeys collection, Jim Beam is set to release Dr. James Crow's Old Crow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a throwback to the original sour mash recipe from 1835 that would revolutionize an industry. The juice was aged for three years and bottled at 80 proof 100 proof (40% Alc./Vol.). There is still no release date as of yet and no mention on the website.

Our next label comes from the great state of Texas, Houston to be exact, and though it's not a bourbon, I am still partial to all things Texan. Billy Banks Single Barrel Whiskey from Billy Banks Distillers (which is actually Gulf Coast Distillers) is a very young sour mash whiskey (aged only 9 months) and is bottled at a somewhat pedestrian 80 proof (40% Alc./Vol.). There is no mention of the release on their website, matter of fact, there's no mention of anything on their website. All it says is "Coming Soon" so who knows.

Lastly, we look at two labels from Two Trees Distilling from North Carolina. First up is Owl Head High Wheat Bourbon Whiskey. Now according to the label, this is an 86 proof (43% Alc./Vol.) wheated bourbon (45% wheat) that is aged for 24 hours in oak but is also treated with Appalachia oak chips and Tennessee oak chips. Ummmm.... okay then.

Then you have Two Trees Distilling Snarly Yow High Rye Whiskey. Named for a dog-like beast that haunted the woods of West Virginia, this 90 proof (45% Alc./Vol.) high rye bourbon (21% rye) bourbon was also aged for 24 hours in oak. But in addition to the Appalachian and Tennessee oak chips, they have also added some Missouri white oak chips to the mix. Now there's no mention of a release for either one of these bourbons on Two Trees' website but they do at least show the bottle for Snarly Yow. Needless to say, I listed both of these as a curiosity and not because I am looking forward to their release.

Well, that's all the COLA snooping for this edition. I'll be back next week with more new labels but until then, drink more bourbon, drink more mead and always drink curious!