Wilderness Trail Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Single Barrel - Bottled in Bond

Nose: This has a light nose that has hints of honey, and some light vanilla and caramel. Much laters sniffs during sipping brought out a nice light sweetness in the nose. Palate: This produced an immediate tingle on the tongue as soon as I put the first sip in my mouth. That was followed shortly afterwards by a quick blast of heat that hit the back of the throat, but then quickly dissipated. The mouthfeel is a bit odd because of that tingling sensation and the mouthfeel feels like it was on the middle to thick side. A second sip brought out some rich, deep flavors that are molasses heavy. The finish is relatively short and other than the quick burst of heat, which on some sips was a bit harsh, there isn’t much of note to it. Later sips (and after the palate adjusts to the “tongue tingle” and heat) have a nice rich sweetness to them. The tongue tingle sensation either diminishes considerably…..or, I’m just getting used to it! The heat is still there, but again, either the heat is diminishing or I’m getting used to it. Letting this one sit in the glass to air for a while is a definite plus any way you look at it. Towards the end of the glass, this became a really nice, sweet sipper. I didn’t do it, but I wonder if adding a few drops of water would have speeded up the process of bringing out the sweetness. But, hey, I don’t mind letting it sit in the glass if it eventually gets there! Comments: This is a 100 proof, Bottled-in-Bond bourbon. According to their website (https://wildernesstraildistillery.com - check it out! It is one of the better distillery websites I’ve seen!), Wilderness Trail went into the bottle at 110 proof and it came out of the still at 137 proof. This product comes from the Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville, KY, which, according to their website, started in 2012. I really like that the side label gives us a good deal of information: “Made from locally sourced grains from an old, traditional mash bill of 64% corn, 24% wheat and 12% malted barley. Copper pot distilled from a single fermented batch using our sweet mash process and put into the barrel at 110 proof.” The label also indicates that it is “distilled, aged and bottled by Wilderness Trail Distillery”. In addition, the distillery’s website also imparts a good deal of information. For this selection, it indicates this is aged 5-6 years and that they use “18 month old air dried staves” in their barrels. They use a two-story rickhouse and rotate the barrels between floors every year. I feel the need to mention the distillery’s website again, because it really is well done. It provides a LOT of information both on their products but also on their history. They are also “community-minded” in that they do a lot of good charity work. It makes me want to visit the distillery! (And, they are now part of the Bourbon Trail, so it has THAT going for it!). The website has a map showing where their bourbon is available and it shows a large number of states where it is. This interesting bourbon is shown on the Total Wine website for $55, but it is probably available elsewhere as well, and possibly for less. At $55, it really is a coin-flip as to whether or not it is worth it. On the one hand, there are a lot of other good choices at that price point. On the other, this is a wheated bourbon with a HIGH wheat content (which is rather rare), and as such, it has a very unique taste. Plus, you’d be supporting a smaller distillery that actually deserves it (e.g. They closed from 21 - 28 December so their employees could spend time with their families over Christmas.). As usual, I think the bottom line on this one is “try before you buy”. I think if you like it, you may not mind forking out the $55. #whattrailareyouon