Wilderness Trail Cask Strength Rye Whiskey S1B32

Brian Schmidt, Topflight Panel Member:

As far as cask-strength rye whiskey goes, this pour is among the best. Herbaceous and floral meet a gentle sweetness, yielding to a pure rye spice finish. Wilderness Trail is a brand that I've seen more and more of, and when we were booked to visit their Danville, KY, facilities to make a selection in July, I didn't know what to expect. For those unfamiliar with Danville, it's in the middle of nowhere, and being only loosely familiar with Wilderness Trail, I was expecting a small operation akin to Yellowstone (Limestone Branch Distillery) or perhaps Peerless. What we found was a large and rapidly growing facility with impeccable black rickhouses with the Wilderness Trail logo emblazoned in white sitting atop gorgeous rolling hills. With more than 100k barrels aging, this brand is getting ready for the future, and if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping by to see it. Now back to the pick. We've got a 4-year and 5-month-old rye whiskey bottled at a cask strength of 108.23 proof. It could be mistaken for a bourbon on the nose, but the finish is all rye. A really complex and unique rye whiskey from their Family Reserve.

TOPFLIGHT: Series 1, Barrel No. 32

PROOF: 108.23

AGE: 4.5 years

MASHBILL: 56% Rye, 33% Corn, 11% Malted Barley