[Review] Shady Mile High Wheat Bourbon

The “backstory” above is taken from the Shady Mile Bourbon website. I honestly have no idea if it’s true but it sounds awesome.

Now, this review has been a long time in the making. A couple of months ago Shady Mile Bourbon asked me to review their two bourbon releases. I said, "Sure, I'd be happy to" and then life got in the way. The next thing I know my wife is in the hospital and I am suffering from ongoing medical complications and I’m not allowed to drink alcohol. I finally got to where I could drink again and what do you know, it is Bourbon Heritage Month. I decided to coincide my review for Shady Mile with the opening of the NFL season. My selections for the 9th and 10th days of my 30 Days of Bourbon Challenge were the Shady Mile Wheated Bourbon and the High Rye Bourbon, respectively. I enjoyed both expressions and prepared my notes but the more I thought about it, the more I became dissatisfied with my tastings. Both bottles are young and it shows but what if I did another tasting after they had a month to… breathe?

Before I get into my actual review, let me explain how I review bottles. I like what I like. That's it. I can detect some of the different flavors and tastes but don't expect me to post a review saying I am “getting a slight hint of wet pavement with a bit of dried corn husk baking on an adobe wall in New Mexico on a Thursday” or something wild like that. I'll give you my impression, plain and simple, and there will be no sugarcoating. After all, I'm not Willy Wonka. Also while I'm at it, let's get this disclaimer out of the way.

DISCLAIMER: Samples of the products reviewed were provided by the respective company for a no strings attached review.

Now, let's get on with the review. I am extremely partial to wheated bourbons so I decided to try the Shady Mile High Wheat Bourbon first. 

• Product: Shady Mile High Wheat Bourbon
• Company: Specialty Cellars
• Classification: Straight Bourbon
• Distillery: Green River Distillery (DSP-KY-10)
• Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
• Mashbill: 70% corn, 21% wheat, 9% malted barley
• Color: Medium amber
  
• Price: ~$30

Method: Rested in a Glencairn for 15-20 minutes; tasted a second time after a month

Initial Tasting

Nose: Light alcohol, cinnamon, cherry with a hint of chocolate

Palate: Cherry is back along with notes of honey, caramel and vanilla

Finish: Warm lingering medium-to-long finish with a sweet pepper spiciness

Second Tasting After A Month

Nose: Still young but the alcohol has dissipated, cinnamon, cherry but the chocolate is more pronounced

Palate: Cherry is back along with notes of honey, caramel and vanilla, maybe a little tobacco and cereal 

Finish: Warm lingering medium-to-long finish with a sweet heat giving hints of cereal/bread

Conclusion: Not what I have come to expect from a wheated bourbon but it is young. The chocolate notes caught me by surprise and the caramel played well off of that. My initial impression was "it was okay" but after revisiting it a month later, I could see it becoming part of the rotation, especially future releases that will have more age to them. I'll say it gets a 3 (just barely) out of 5.

 Check back tomorrow for my Shady Mile High Rye Bourbon review. Until then...