[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...

Caught on COLA - Bourbon

I'm back with the next edition of Caught on COLA - Bourbon where I delve into the TTB COLA registry and try to snoop out what the distilleries are cooking up and getting ready to release. So without further adieu, let's get to snooping!

Every year, Pinhook Bourbon releases a new bourbon (and rye), each connected to an active, promising young thoroughbred. This year's bourbon will be dedicated to bay colt named Bourbon War who stands 16.0 hands. The juice in the bottle is aged for four years (age stated on the bottle) and tips the scale at 116.5 proof (58.25% Alc./Vol.). 

As far as Pinhook's rye release, it seems it will be named for another bay colt named Rye Humor that stands at 16.1 hands. The rye in this release is bottled at cask strength and is also 116.5 proof (58.25% Alc./Vol.). Both the bourbon and rye releases' labels are interactive and feature augmented reality (AR) by scanning the bottle with the Pinhook AR app. Of course, there is no mention yet on a release date but make sure to grab a bottle of both releases as Pinhook, in my opinion, is damn good.

From the City of Brotherly Love comes Four Humours Bourbon Whiskey. This MGP-sourced juice is aged for four years and comes in at 90 proof (45% Alc./Vol/.). This bourbon release joins their rye in what looks like will be a decent spirit menu. They have plans for a five year bourbon, a wheated bourbon, a corn whiskey and a malted mash whiskey. You can find out more on their website.

Next we have M & O Spirits with their Black Bourbon Whiskey which they say is triple distilled and double oaked. Made from corn, rye, red wheat and malted barley, this whiskey hits the bottle at 90 proof (45% Alc./Vol/.) and is distilled, aged and bottled in Asheville, Ohio. You could check out their website for more information but unfortunately it's just a splash page.

Texas' own Rio Brazos Distillery is set to release a Single Barrel expression of their Texas bourbon. This young bourbon (aged for one year) is bottled at 100 proof (50% Alc./Vol.) and joins their lineup of Texas whiskey and corn whiskey. As of yet, there is no mention on their website but stay tuned.

Hailing from my home state of Michigan, Motor City Gas is coming out with their Belly Up Straight Bourbon Whiskey. Distilled and bottled in Royal Oak, Michigan, Belly Up tips the scales at 92 proof (46% Alc./Vol.) is "aged more than 2 years." You can subscribe to their email list for updates on their website which is another one that isn't much more than a splash page for now.

Oregon Ryegrass Spirits (aka Spiritopia) is adding to their rye whiskey and brandy portfolio by bringing us Rainbow Straight Bourbon Whiskey. According to the back label, Rainbow is made from 51% corn and 49% wheat (all from Eastern Oregon) and is bottled at 90 proof (45% Alc./Vol.). No mention on the Spiritopia website as of yet but I'll keep checking since I love wheaters.

PM Spirits looks like they are about to release another edition of their Mic Dop Straight Bourbon Whiskey. L19-01 is a MGP sourced bourbon that has been aged for four years. The mashbill consists of 60% corn, 36% rye and 4% barley malt and is bottled at a 111 proof (55.5% Alc./Vol.). No mention yet on a release date and no information on their website yet about this release.

Vapor Distillery's Boulder Spirits looks like they are adding a two-year Straight Bourbon Whiskey to their lineup which already includes bourbon, single-malt whiskey, gin and vodka. This Scottish copper pot still juice is made from 51% corn, 44% malted barley and 5% rye that was aged in No. 3 char white oak barrels and was bottled at 84 proof (42% Alc./Vol.). Vapor Distillery doesn't show the release on their website so there is no information on a possible release date. Make sure to follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook for all the latest information.

Get ready for the Remus Repeal Reserve 2019 Medley from MGP's own G. Remus Distilling Co. This 100 proof (50% Alc./Vol.) release is comprised of 12% 2007 Bourbon (21% Rye), 78% 2008 Bourbon (21% Rye) and 10% 2008 Bourbon (36% Rye). There isn't any mention on the Remus website about the Limited Edition release but it will probably come out towards the end of the year to celebrate Repeal Day (Dec. 3rd). If it is anything like first two releases, grab it if you can!

That's all I have for this week. Please make sure to check back as I do some more COLA snooping and see what we have to look forward to in our bourbon future. Until then, drink more bourbon! Cheers!

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!