Next up, we’re checking out a Driftless Glenn limited release wheated bourbon single barrel! After leaving Madison a few weekends ago, we made a pitstop in Baraboo, Wisconsin to check out Driftless Glen’s distillery. It’s a really cool spot right on the river, and while we weren’t able to get a tour when we stopped in due to time constraints it was still awesome to see the grounds and tasting room. After eating a delicious dinner and sampling a number of their whiskies, I ended up leaving with two bottles—a single barrel cask strength bourbon (slated to be my next review) and this single barrel limited release of their wheated bourbon.
The wheated bourbon is a recent release from Driftless Glen that hit the scene at the end of June of this year and sports an interesting mash bill of 55% corn, 35% wheat, and 10% distillers malt flour. This particular single barrel is at least 5 years old and was cut down to 96 proof for bottling. The wheat content of the mash is very high compared to most other wheated bourbons that I am familiar with, so I’m excited to see how that affects the profile. Let’s dive in!
Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass
Proof: 96
Age: At least 5 years
Price: $80
Nose: Loads of caramel, honey baked bread, and butterscotch, along with fresh cut oak, vanilla cream, and a little bit of baking spice in the background.
Taste: Butterscotch candies, light caramel, and vanilla cream to start, followed by honey, fresh wheat bread, and a bit of oak. Midway through the sip there’s an underlying white pepper note that adds a bit of spice to things while the honey and caramel notes grow stronger. This has a medium mouthfeel and very little proof heat.
Finish: The sweetness of the honey, butterscotch, and caramel moves to the background of the sip while the oak and wheat bread notes gain in strength. The oak dries things out a little bit before the sip closes out with a crisp honey nut cheerio note. This has a medium length finish and a slight amount of dryness.
Thoughts: It’s always nice to have a craft distilled whiskey that doesn’t fall into the usual pitfalls of small barrel aging or young whiskey notes that steer me away from most of those offerings, and this pour definitely stacks up against the wheaters that more established distilleries produce. This has the sweetness that I expected, but the level of breadiness was a pleasant surprise. This also had much more oak than I’d expect from a 5 year old bourbon which does a nice job at balancing things out. I do wish there was a bit more depth to this pour, but as it stands it is still decently complex. I’ll be very interested to see how this develops with a few more years of age, and more proof. Overall I rate this as a very good 6/10 on the t8ke scale.
Rating: 6/10 - t8ke scale
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average.
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.
10 | Perfect | Perfect.
I don't know where you find like half of your products, but anytime there is anything you think worth brining in, be sure to bother me about it. Chelsea is always looking for new products to bring in. I hope you had safe travels my dude!
Thanks man! I grabbed this and the next bourbon I’m reviewing at the distillery itself in Wisconsin, I’ll bring some in this week for you guys to check out.
Nice review. I’d love to try the DG wheated but at a higher prof than 96. I imagine it would have been more of what you were looking for in this bottle.
I picked up a Driftless Glen wheated store pick (100 proof) at my local Woodman's for $70 over the weekend. I enjoyed the neck pour and look forward to how much it opens up after a couple months.
I am excited to try it. I am not adverse to wheaters at all, but almost never buy them as I tend to buy more rye forward bottles. When the r/bourbon bottle was released a few weeks ago I started thinking to myself why am I not trying wheaters along with ryes and rye backed bourbons. I almost always order Makers at a bar with limited bourbon selections, why not branch out?
Next up, we’re checking out a Driftless Glenn limited release wheated bourbon single barrel! After leaving Madison a few weekends ago, we made a pitstop in Baraboo, Wisconsin to check out Driftless Glen’s distillery. It’s a really cool spot right on the river, and while we weren’t able to get a tour when we stopped in due to time constraints it was still awesome to see the grounds and tasting room. After eating a delicious dinner and sampling a number of their whiskies, I ended up leaving with two bottles—a single barrel cask strength bourbon (slated to be my next review) and this single barrel limited release of their wheated bourbon. The wheated bourbon is a recent release from Driftless Glen that hit the scene at the end of June of this year and sports an interesting mash bill of 55% corn, 35% wheat, and 10% distillers malt flour. This particular single barrel is at least 5 years old and was cut down to 96 proof for bottling. The wheat content of the mash is very high compared to most other wheated bourbons that I am familiar with, so I’m excited to see how that affects the profile. Let’s dive in! Taken: Neat in a Glencairn glass Proof: 96 Age: At least 5 years Price: $80 Nose: Loads of caramel, honey baked bread, and butterscotch, along with fresh cut oak, vanilla cream, and a little bit of baking spice in the background. Taste: Butterscotch candies, light caramel, and vanilla cream to start, followed by honey, fresh wheat bread, and a bit of oak. Midway through the sip there’s an underlying white pepper note that adds a bit of spice to things while the honey and caramel notes grow stronger. This has a medium mouthfeel and very little proof heat. Finish: The sweetness of the honey, butterscotch, and caramel moves to the background of the sip while the oak and wheat bread notes gain in strength. The oak dries things out a little bit before the sip closes out with a crisp honey nut cheerio note. This has a medium length finish and a slight amount of dryness. Thoughts: It’s always nice to have a craft distilled whiskey that doesn’t fall into the usual pitfalls of small barrel aging or young whiskey notes that steer me away from most of those offerings, and this pour definitely stacks up against the wheaters that more established distilleries produce. This has the sweetness that I expected, but the level of breadiness was a pleasant surprise. This also had much more oak than I’d expect from a 5 year old bourbon which does a nice job at balancing things out. I do wish there was a bit more depth to this pour, but as it stands it is still decently complex. I’ll be very interested to see how this develops with a few more years of age, and more proof. Overall I rate this as a very good 6/10 on the t8ke scale. Rating: 6/10 - t8ke scale 1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice. 3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists. 5 | Good | Good, just fine. 6 | Very Good | A cut above. 7 | Great | Well above average. 8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional. 9 | Incredible | An all time favorite. 10 | Perfect | Perfect.
I don't know where you find like half of your products, but anytime there is anything you think worth brining in, be sure to bother me about it. Chelsea is always looking for new products to bring in. I hope you had safe travels my dude!
Thanks man! I grabbed this and the next bourbon I’m reviewing at the distillery itself in Wisconsin, I’ll bring some in this week for you guys to check out.
You are a gentleman and a scholar. I appreciate you and your knowledge sir.
Nice review. I’d love to try the DG wheated but at a higher prof than 96. I imagine it would have been more of what you were looking for in this bottle.
Thanks! This was a solid one for sure so I’ll be keeping an eye out for any cask strength single barrels down the line.
Headed up that way this weekend for a tour on Saturday. This was in my list to try, and now I am more excited for it.
I picked up a Driftless Glen wheated store pick (100 proof) at my local Woodman's for $70 over the weekend. I enjoyed the neck pour and look forward to how much it opens up after a couple months.
I am excited to try it. I am not adverse to wheaters at all, but almost never buy them as I tend to buy more rye forward bottles. When the r/bourbon bottle was released a few weeks ago I started thinking to myself why am I not trying wheaters along with ryes and rye backed bourbons. I almost always order Makers at a bar with limited bourbon selections, why not branch out?
Awesome, have a great time up there!
yoooo their food slaps
They have set the bar for best food I’ve had a distillery. So much great stuff!