Barrel Pick: Who doesn't want a Caramel Cupcake?
We’re excited to drop our latest barrel pick just ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday! The name Wilderness Trail maybe new to many of you but they’ve been quietly making a name for themselves before recently being catapult to the national stage through their partnership with Campari. And while the whiskey does taste great … we’re suckers for a good story while we’re sipping on something delicious.
Wilderness Trail was started in 2013 by Dr. Pat Heist and Shane Baker, two longtime fermentation gurus whose business was to consult distilleries around the world on how to identify & fix problems in their whiskey making process. Their expertise in the field of yeast & bacteria boasts a range of nearly 100,000 of the former and over 250,000 of the latter .. making them unrivaled in the science of how brown water is impacted by the two throughout fermentation, distillation & barrel aging. Simply put, Pat & Shane are next level geniuses in whiskey making.
But why get into Bourbon? These fellas are Kentucky born & raised .. whiskey runs in their blood and they just so happened to find the right opportunity to create a great brand in Danville. Just over a decade later, they’ve become the 14th largest Bourbon producer in the world. They’re growing at breakneck pace & once you taste their stock … you’ll know why.
Our barrel pick comes from their sweet mash process with a higher wheat content than typical of this style. Built on a sturdy core of 64% Corn, there’s 24% Wheat and finally it’s rounded out with a hefty 12% Malted Barley. The distillate was aged in a Independent Stave Co’s barrel charred to a full level four. Proof on entry was a touch low at 110* and after four years & seven months, it was released from it’s slumber at 114*.
We instantly fell in love with this barrel because of it’s bold, luscious flavors of rich caramel over sweetened bread & baking spice. The mouthfeel is round and the palate is left coated with sweetness on a finish that sails on for minutes. We dubbed this one ‘Caramel Cupcake’ because no one in the history of mankind has every turned one of those down. |
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