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Milam & Greene Release Mockingbird Bourbon Into The Wild

Milam & Greene Whiskey is introducing the second release of the 2024 Wildlife Collection: Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon, a limited-edition, cask-strength spirit. The theme of the Wildlife Collection draws on how extreme weather in the Texas Hill Country influences flavor development of aging bourbon and brings awareness to Texas Parks and Wildlife causes. Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon is part of this year’s collector theme which highlights the beautiful and intriguing birds of Texas. It will be available exclusively on the Milam & Greene Whiskey website and in the distillery tasting room beginning at 3:00 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Wildlife Single Barrel Bourbon Collection continuously sells out online.

Milam & Greene Mockingbird Single Barrel Bourbon is named for the state bird of Texas which is medium sized with a big personality. Northern Mockingbirds, found throughout Texas year-round, are slender and gray with a long tail and a bold white stripe on each wing. Its signature trait is its ability to mimic the songs of other birds as well as environmental sounds. Mockingbirds use mimicry as a means of communication to attract mates, establish territory, and ward off potential threats. Mockingbirds are also known for their adaptability to diverse urban and rural habitats and resilience to harsh environmental conditions, like the barrels aging in Milam & Greene rickhouses experience in Texas.

“Each release of our Wildlife Collection starts with the selection of excellent, young whiskey barrels, then applying my understanding of how the aging process will affect the final taste,” says Heather Greene, Milam & Greene Whiskey CEO and 2023 Master Blender of the Year. “By carefully studying the impact of the climate on aging whiskey, we better understand how the sense of place will be reflected in each of our barrels. We are looking for differentiating factors that are harnessed by climate, barrel fill, and age that happen when whiskey is matured in various locations. We’ve compared whiskey that has aged its whole life in other states with whiskey completely aged in Texas. Whiskey aged 100 percent in Texas usually tends to be richer and darker. It’s very robust, very spicy, and you can sink your teeth into it. By aging a barrel mostly in another state and then finishing its aging in Texas we’re getting richer, more intense flavor profiles at an earlier phase of its life. That’s what we want in the Wildlife Collection.”

12 Rickhouses of Turkey: TYN

Seeing as this is the penultimate entry in the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series, I thought I might shake things up a bit. But just slightly. The original concept for this series centered around Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel selections from popular ri…

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Wilderness Trail Single Barrel Rye Whiskey Review

By Richard Thomas Rating: B+ The first time I called on Wilderness Trail was a long time ago. I was still living in Europe, and they had only just changed their name from Wilderness Trace and moved from their original storage space-style set-up to their current farm property. That was the summer of 2016, and …

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B+

Wilderness Trail Single Barrel Rye
(Credit: Richard Thomas)

The first time I called on Wilderness Trail was a long time ago. I was still living in Europe, and they had only just changed their name from Wilderness Trace and moved from their original storage space-style set-up to their current farm property. That was the summer of 2016, and just about the only thing I can think of that hasn’t changed since then is that their digs in Danville, Kentucky remain very much on the outskirts of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Not as the crow flies, mind you. Danville just occupies an odd spot for a county seat cum college town in Kentucky, in that it isn’t anywhere near a major highway. Despite definitely being in the Bluegrass, it’s a bit out of the way, and compounding that is that Wilderness Trail is all by themselves down in Boyle County.

Wilderness Trail was founded by Shane Baker and Pat Heist, who are also the founders of industry consultants Ferm Solutions. Thus, they were well-situated to develop a production process that spotlighted yeast selection and the sweet mash process, two features that define Wilderness Trail’s corner of Kentucky bourbon.

This Settlers Select Single Barrel Rye was made with 56% rye, 33% corn and 11% malted barley. It’s also a cask strength, a point not even mentioned on the label, probably because it’s only 52.6% ABV. Another feature of Wilderness Trail is that they prefer a low entry proof for their whiskeys, which results in a low dump proof after just several years.

The Whiskey
The pour has a red tinted amber look to it. I found the nose to have a certain Christmas cake quality. The spiciness, driven by mint and especially clove, was certainly in the main. But along side that sweet and spicy main body were earthy and nutty notes.

Sipping adds pepper and dill to the spice blend, as the character of the whiskey turns sharply away from cake. It’s still sweet under an oily texture–simple syrup infused with vanilla–but the spice takes over. Add cardamom to the mint and clove, plus a sliver of oak. The finish slides right off that spicy peak, developing a sweet pipe tobacco note that lingers for just a short time.

The Price
A bottle of this should set you back $65, but some retailers have it listed for $55 or $75. So, buyer beware and shop around before picking up a bottle.

12 Rickhouses of Turkey: TYM

In 2022, Tyrone’s rickhouse M reappeared in Wild Turkey’s private barrel program. The last time enthusiasts had seen private selections from M was in 2016 and 2017, and they were some of the most noteworthy barrels at the time. In fact, I’ve covered a …

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Lost Lantern Launches First Dedicated Regional Collection, Starting With The Mid-West

American negociant Lost Lantern has traditionally curated and released its collections around specific themes, but the Spring 2024 collection marks the independent bottler’s inaugural regional collection. With a focus on the Midwest, Lost Lantern aims to spotlight a whiskey region it believes deserves more attention. If you’re not yet talking about whiskey from the Midwest, …

American negociant Lost Lantern has traditionally curated and released its collections around specific themes, but the Spring 2024 collection marks the independent bottler’s inaugural regional collection. With a focus on the Midwest, Lost Lantern aims to spotlight a whiskey region it believes deserves more attention.

If you’re not yet talking about whiskey from the Midwest, Lost Lantern plans to change that. “The Midwest is one of the most exciting and dynamic whiskey regions in the United States, yet it’s one that whiskey drinkers often overlook,” says Lost Lantern Co-Founder Nora Ganley-Roper. “Other regions like the Pacific Northwest and Texas may have a higher profile, but distilleries across the Midwest are making truly wonderful, world-class whiskies. This is especially true for bourbon and rye, and we’ve found that many of the best whiskies of the Midwest exhibit a complex yet soft and creamy character. Lost Lantern’s Midwest Collection is designed to showcase some of these whiskies and help whiskey lovers explore a region that has truly come into its own.”

Lost Lantern’s new Spring Collection celebrates these regional attributes. The release features seven distinct bottlings, each highlighting what makes whiskey from the Midwest so compelling: Far-Flung Rye (a multi-distillery blend of rye whiskies from across the Midwest) and six single casks from distilleries across the region. The Collection features the return of three previous Lost Lantern partners—Starlight Distillery (IN), Cedar Ridge (IA), and Tom’s Foolery (OH), as well as three new distillery partners: Wollersheim Distillery (WI), FEW Spirits (IL), and Middle West Spirits (OH). This release includes Lost Lantern’s first-ever whiskies from Wisconsin and Illinois, as well as its first multi-state rye blend.

The Midwest collection will be available for purchase at the new Lost Lantern Tasting Room in Vergennes, VT, and online at LostLanternWhiskey.com and Seelbachs.com beginning March 27th. It will also be available at select retailers in New York and California. As always, the new collection is presented at cask strength, non-chill-filtered, and with no color added. In addition, Lost Lantern is launching an educational series focused on Midwestern whiskies through its website, which will highlight other great Midwestern distilleries beyond the Collection and will include guest posts from distillers across the region.

Far-Flung Rye: 121.6 Proof (486 bottles) SRP, $100

Lost Lantern’s first blend of straight rye whiskey proves that some of the country’s best rye whiskey comes from the Midwest. This special release brings together a blend of straight ryes, ranging from four to nine years old, from five of the finest distilleries in the region: Cedar Ridge (IA), Middle West Spirits (OH), Starlight Distillery (IN), Tom’s Foolery Distillery (OH), and Wollersheim Distillery (WI). It has bright rye spice and fresh-cut grass on the nose. The palate is spicy, with rich oak and hints of dark chocolate and warm bread. Age: 4 years

Starlight Distillery Indiana Straight Bourbon Single Cask: 118.7 Proof (132 bottles) SRP, $90

Starlight Distillery is part of Huber’s Orchard & Winery, an Indiana institution since 1843. Ted Huber started Starlight in 2001 to capture the flavors of Indiana grain and fruit from the place his family has farmed for seven generations. This straight bourbon whiskey was aged in a 53-gallon barrel for 6 years, including two years in Vermont. It was made with 60% corn, 20% malted barley, 10% rye, and 10% wheat. It has a rich and creamy nose, with notes of cherry, nutmeg, fresh oak, and chocolate on the palate. Very spicy and full, with a long finish. Age: 6 years

Wollersheim Distillery Wisconsin Straight Bourbon Single Cask: 131.2 Proof (200 bottles) SRP, $90

Established in the 19th century, Wollersheim is a family-owned winery and distillery. Its grain-to-glass whiskies truly reflect Wisconsin’s climate and agricultural heritage. This 5-year-old straight bourbon whiskey was made from 66% corn, 22% rye, and 12% malted barley, all locally grown. An intense and powerful cool-climate northern bourbon with notes of leather, chocolate oranges, and pipe tobacco on the nose, and hints of chocolate mousse, dry grain, and spice-blackened meat on the palate. Age: 5 years

FEW Spirits Illinois Straight Bourbon Single Cask: 124.6 Proof (200 bottles) SRP, $90

A pioneer of American craft spirits, FEW has distilled award-winning grain-to-glass whiskies since 2011 in a unique urban setting outside Chicago. This straight bourbon whiskey, Lost Lantern’s first from FEW Spirits and Illinois, was distilled from 70% corn, 20% rye, and 10% malted barley and aged for 5 years in a 53-gallon new American oak barrel. It has warm, sweet notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and French vanilla on the nose. The palate has a rich and rounded spice, a soft, creamy texture, and notes of milk chocolate and cinnamon rolls. The finish is long and warming. Age: 5 years

Tom’s Foolery 9-Year-Old Ohio Straight Rye Single Cask: 116.5 Proof (170 bottles) SRP, $120

This family-owned distillery uses traditional, labor-intensive methods to make whiskey, including wooden fermenters and pot still distillation. Their whiskies embody the cold, snowy climate of Ohio’s snowbelt. Aged for 9 years in a 53-gallon barrel, making it the oldest whiskey Lost Lantern has released, this straight rye whiskey was made from 70% winter rye and 30% malted rye. It is fresh and elegant, with hints of fresh-cut grass and lemon on the nose and rich rye spice, lemon custard, and balanced oak on the palate. It has an extremely long, warm finish. Age: 9 years

Middle West Ohio Straight Rye Single Cask: 126 Proof (197 bottles) SRP, $90

Based in Columbus, Ohio, Middle West Spirits is one of the Midwest’s largest and most ambitious independent distilleries. This four-grain straight rye whiskey is made with dark pumpernickel rye grain, giving it a full, toasty, chocolatey, and earthy flavor. It was aged for 4 years in a 53-gallon new oak barrel from Speyside Cooperage. It has notes of rich chocolate mousse and warm rye spice on the nose, with cocoa nibs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and leatherbound books on the palate. It is Lost Lantern’s first release from Middle West. Age: 4 years

Cedar Ridge Iowa Straight Wheat Single Cask: 123.1 Proof (203 bottles) SRP, $90

Cedar Ridge has been farming and distilling spirits in Swisher, Iowa, owned by the Quint family, for decades. The area’s dramatic seasonal temperature swings help create whiskies with a soft, clean, yet spicy character. An exceptional cask, this is an elegant and powerful wheat whiskey made from 100% malted white winter wheat that was aged for 6 years in a 53-gallon barrel. It has a very spicy nose, with notes of black cherry and vanilla shortbread on the nose. The palate is bold and warm, with hints of baking spice and cinnamon coffee cake. Age: 6 years

Seven New Irish Whiskeys To Try For St. Patrick’s Day

By Richard Thomas St. Patrick’s Day has grown from being the feast day commemorating the death of Ireland’s patron saint into an international (often unofficial) holiday celebrating all things Irish. There is no better time to expand your knowledge of the surging Irish Whiskey scene and get acquainted with some new expressions. I’ve drawn up …

By Richard Thomas

Bushmills 25 Year Old Single Malt
(Credit: Bushmills)

St. Patrick’s Day has grown from being the feast day commemorating the death of Ireland’s patron saint into an international (often unofficial) holiday celebrating all things Irish. There is no better time to expand your knowledge of the surging Irish Whiskey scene and get acquainted with some new expressions. I’ve drawn up a list of seven such new Irish whiskeys, each interesting in its own right and collectively representing the whole price range.

Blackwater Peat the Magic Dragon Single Malt (€96/$105)
Released only two months ago, this one is as new to shelves as they come. Blackwater Distillery is one of the many craft scale distilleries that have sprung up in Ireland in recent years, located in what used to be a hardware shop on the banks of their namesake, the Blackwater River. Their whimsically named Peat the Magic Dragon is an Irish single malt, single barrel release made with barley that was grown, malted and smoked with peat/turf all on and from the same sight. Blackwater details all this in a way that would make the heart of any militant purist sing. They matured it in a French oak barrel that had seen a previous use aging cherry liqueur. It’s also a rare one: the yield of the one cask was just 350 bottles (and those are 500 ml bottles at that) at 49% ABV. This bottle was only released in Ireland, but the few retailers who still have it ship to the US.

Boann Winter Solstice Preston’s Mash
(Credit: Boann Distillery)

Boann Winter Solstice Preston’s Mashbill (€150/$163)
This one is also brand new, having been released just in the last couple of months. Boann Distillery is located in the Boyne Valley, and what they’ve done is recreate a whiskey using a 140 year old grain recipe from Preston’s, a famous Drogheda negociant from the heyday of Irish Whiskey. What that mash is exactly Boann won’t say, but they put the new make into a Oloroso hogshead for this single barrel, cask strength (59.9% ABV) release. So, Winter Solstice Preston’s Mashbill is also a limited edition with a small production run, and it’s also something you’ll need to acquire as a special import unless you happen to be reading this from Ireland.

Bushmills 25 Year Old Single Malt ($900)
Since St. Paddy’s 2023, the world’s oldest licensed distillery has expanded their permanent line-up with two ultra-aged expressions, a 25 and 30 year old single malt. As the 25 year old is the more approachable of the two, that is the one chosen for this list. Previously (and going back decades), the oldest Bushmills in regular release had been their 21 year old. This whiskey started life as pretty typical Bushmills, spending five years in ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks. What sets it apart is it then went on for a dominant, extraordinary secondary maturation of twenty years in first-fill ruby Port pipes. These are available in the US, UK and Europe in the 700 ml format.

Keeper’s Heart 10 Year Old Single Malt ($100)
I will hopefully head off an ignorant comment by stating that while O’Shaughnessy Distillery is in Minnesota, not Ireland, this one is sourced and is an Irish Whiskey. Once we get past that pedigree (because Irish Whiskeys sourced by for a US-based label are pretty rare), this single malt has a more ordinary story: aged for 10 years and finished in Malaga wine casks before bottling at 43% ABV. Just keep in mind the crew behind it includes Brian Nation, former Master Distiller of New Midleton, so O’Shaughnessy certainly has the expertise to do this right.

Method & Madness 7 Year Old Single Malt
(Credit: Irish Distillers)

Method & Madness 7 Year Old Single Malt (€95/$103)
New Midleton is where Jameson, Powers, Redbreast and the Spots are all made, but if you think about those brands, the one thing none of them do is a single malt. It just isn’t something Irish Distillers is known for, so it shouldn’t be surprising that when the company put out a single malt, it came from their experiments Method & Madness brand. Most Method & Madness whiskeys are made in New Midleton’s in-house craft distillery, and this first-ever 7 year old single malt is an example. Aged in ex-bourbon and ex-Sherry casks, it’s bottled at 43% ABV.

Midleton Very Rare Forêt de Tronçais ($5,000)
The very rare, very expensive entry on this list is also from New Midleton. That distillery’s Kevin O’Gorman was their chief wood and maturation specialist before becoming Master Distiller in 2020. It was in that preceding role that O’Gorman was in France in 2017, looking for cask stock. That was when he explored oak from the Tronçais forest in central France, built into casks by the Taransaud cooperage, typically a supplier to the wine and Cognac industries. They made what are called T5 casks for O’Gorman, with that French oak air-seasoned for five years before the cask is made.

The actual whiskey is (like Midleton Very Rare) a marriage of single grain and single pot still whiskeys, drawn from a range of ex-bourbon barrel aged stock distilled between the 1980s and 2000s. Reading between the lines, that means the minimum age on the marriage is over twenty years, and some of the whiskeys could be older than forty years. Then it went to those new T5 casks for an additional three years before bottling at 48% ABV.

Waterford Peated Woodbrook (€94/$104)
Waterford Distillery has taken peated Irish whiskeys to a new level with two new expressions, the first- and second-most peated Irish malts of modern times, with Woodbrook being the title holder. Waterford specializes in relatively young, grain-forward whiskeys that rely on flavorful, estate-grown choices in barley. So, this malt was made with barley from Woodbrook farm in County Dublin. The barley was peated up to 74 ppm, and to put that into perspective, a typical Laphroaig malt is peated to between 40 and 50 ppm. This smoky take on Irish Whiskey is bottled at a healthy 50% ABV.

12 Rickhouses of Turkey: CNE

One rickhouse that certainly deserves attention in the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series is Camp Nelson E. I first tasted CNE aged whiskey in the fall of 2022 when I was evaluating barrels for Pride of Anderson County. I knew instantly those barrels wer…

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12 Rickhouses of Turkey: TYD

It’s great to be back! After a few weeks recovering my senses of smell and taste, it’s nice to be reviewing whiskey and writing blog posts again. My sincerest thanks to Frank Dobbins for keeping the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series going in the interim…

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Washington’s Dry Fly Distilling Releases First-Ever Rye Whiskey

The Whiskey Reviewer first covered Washington state’s Dry Fly Distilling a decade ago, and for most of that time the distillery has been known mainly for its wheat whiskeys. They are poised to break some new ground on Friday with the release of their first-ever rye whiskey. Dry Fly Distilling Rye Whiskey Batch #1 is …

The Whiskey Reviewer first covered Washington state’s Dry Fly Distilling a decade ago, and for most of that time the distillery has been known mainly for its wheat whiskeys. They are poised to break some new ground on Friday with the release of their first-ever rye whiskey. Dry Fly Distilling Rye Whiskey Batch #1 is made with a 100% rye mash single barrel, bottled at 90 proof and is available at only through online orders or at the distillery.

However, what makes this release most interesting is that it boasts a five year age statement. In another indicator of just how mature the small distillery, craft whiskey sector has become in America, the first rye whiskey to come from Dry Fly starts out as a five year old single barrel. Batch #1 is priced at $80 a bottle.

12 Rickhouses of Turkey: TYT

Special thanks to Frank for picking up on the “12 Rickhouses of Turkey” series as I continue to recover from Covid 19. Rickhouse T is growing in popularity among Turkey fans, and I can understand why. It’s tasty whiskey! Matter of fac…

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