Bourbon

Port Cask-Finished Bourbons & Ryes - 10 Recommendations You Can Actually Find (Non-Allocated)

TL:DR (Price Low to High)

  1. Ezra Brooks 99, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Casks

  2. Noble Oak Double Oak Rye, Rye Whiskey Finished with Port Wine Staves

  3. Templeton Midnight Rye, American Rye Whiskey Blended with Dark Port Wine

  4. Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Finished in Port Casks

  5. Amador Whiskey Co. Kentucky Rye Whiskey, Finished in Port Barrels

  6. Breckenridge Whiskey, Port Cask Finish

  7. Angel's Envy, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels

  8. TX, Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks

  9. Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Port Cask Finish

  10. Garrison Brothers Guadalupe, Texas Straight Bourbon Finished in a Port Cask


What is Port Wine?

Port is a sweet, fortified wine hailing from the Douro region of Portugal. It originates from trade wars between England and France in the 17th century, causing England to increase trade with Portugal. The powerful red wines became popular in England, and brandy started to be added to stabilise the dry wines and make sure they arrived in England in good condition. Ports are made by adding grape spirit to a fermenting juice to create an alcoholic sweet wine. This is a technique that has been used in this region since the eighteenth century and it is now used to make wines of a similar style throughout the world. Port is made in red, white, and rosé styles but red Port is the most common. (Wine & Spirit Education Trust)

Basic Ruby Ports are blends of wines that are typically between one and three years old. They are fresher in style and lack the concentration, complexity or tannins of more premium Port styles.

Basic Tawny are not necessarily older than Ruby Ports, but they appear browner in color, thus the name tawny, because they are deliberately aged in an oxidative style.


Photo by Dram Street

Ezra Brooks 99, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Port Wine Casks

The Ezra Brooks brand is produced at Lux Row Distillers, a 90-acre distillery property in Bardstown, Kentucky, about an hour south of Louisville by car. The distillery also produces and bottles the following bourbon brands: Rebel, David Nicholson, Daviess County, and Blood Oath. 

The Ezra Brooks brand was created in 1957 by Frank Silverman and bottled at Hoffman Distilling Company in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. In 1976, the Medley Distilling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky, produced Ezra Brooks, which became their best-selling brand. In 1993, St. Louis-based spirits supplier Luxco purchased the Ezra Brooks bourbon brand. Luxco was previously known as the David Sherman Corporation. In 2016 and 2017, the brand updated the packaging and released the Bourbon Cream and Rye labels. In 2018, Lux Row Distillers opened, and Ezra Brooks and several other Luxco bourbons finally had a production home. In 2021, the Ezra Brooks brand released the 99 proof, which became the new standard bottling proof for bourbon and rye. The Ezra Brooks 80 proof is discontinued. 

Ezra Brooks 99 Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey (KSBW) is the brand's flagship product and the base whiskey for their Port cask-finish release. The bourbon is distilled from a mash bill of  78 % corn, 10 % rye, 12 % malted barley, aged for 4-years in a new charred American oak barrel, charcoal filtered, and bottled at 99 proof (49.5 % ABV). Charcoal filtering is legally mandated for Tennessee Whiskey but highly uncommon for Kentucky bourbon. This extra step gives Ezra Brooks a unique, mellow flavor. The Port Cask-Finish is the brand's newest release. In November 2024, this product will be readily available, although I am not sure if it will be a permanent line extension. The brand does not disclose how long the Ezra Brooks 99 bourbon is finished in the Port casks, but the final product is also bottled at 99 proof (49.5 % ABV). 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Vanilla, tobacco, and leather are in perfect harmony on the nose, with sweet fruitiness and dark chocolate on the palate. 


Photo by Noble Oak

Noble Oak Double Oak Rye, Rye Whiskey Finished with Port Wine Staves

Noble Oak is an American Whiskey brand with a mission to plant trees. They partnered with OneTreePlanted.org to plant 1.24 million trees to date. You can visit their website for a very detailed map of where exactly their reforestation projects have been completed.

American Whiskey, particularly bourbon, requires by law a new barrel every time, which could strain the long-term sustainability of American oak forests. That is why more American Whiskey brands partner with organizations that encourage planting new trees. 

Noble Oak is owned by Scottish spirits supplier Edrington, who is most well-known for The Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whiskey. The Noble Oak Double Oak Rye is distilled in Indiana from a mash bill of 95 % rye and 5 % malted barley. The whiskey is aged for a minimum of 1 year in new charred American white oak barrels and finished with former Ruby port staves sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal by Stuart MacPherson, Master of Wood for Macallan. The brand uses a unique compression finishing process, which applies heat and pressure cycles to maximize the wood-to-spirit contact in the barrel. The final product is bottled at 96 proof (48 % ABV) and won a double goal at the 2023 San Fransisco World Spirits Competition. 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Color: Deep mahogany

  • Nose: Notes of toffee, allspice, wood, and rich grains 

  • Palate: Notes of sweet brown sugar and maple syrup dissolve into a sharp profile of green pepper and grass, closing with austere rye grainy spice


Photo by Templeton

Templeton Midnight Rye, American Rye Whiskey Blended with Dark Port Wine

The Templeton brand was founded in 2006 in the tiny town of Templeton, in western Iowa, by Keith Kerkhoff, a local farmer, distiller, and second-generation descendent of a Templeton prohibition moonshiner. The town of Templeton has a famous reputation for distilling rye whiskey during American Prohibition. Nicknamed "The Good Stuff," their product was so good that it allegedly became the whiskey of choice for the Chicago Outfit crime boss, Al Capone. Kerkhoff went the legal route when reviving the town's rye whiskey distilling legacy. Initially using contract rye whiskey from Indiana, the brand opened a distillery in Templeton in 2018. 

The Templeton Midnight Rye is a rye whiskey distilled from a mash bill of 95 % rye and 5 % malted barley, aged in first-fill American oak barrels, which means the barrels have already been used once for aging whiskey, blended with "dark" Port wine, and bottled at 90 proof (45 % ABV). Unlike the other products on this list, the Templeton Midnight Rye is a slightly unconventional whiskey because the base whiskey is blended with actual port wine, rather than finishing the whiskey in a barrel that previously held port wine. 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Aroma: An enchanting dance of dark cherries, figs, and a subtle hint of spiced orange peel

  • Taste: A perfect balance of cinnamon, clove, and a touch of dark chocolate, all harmonizing in a silky, full-bodied texture that coats the palate.

  • Finish: A lingering embrace of warmth and satisfaction, leaving behind echoes of dried fruits, oak, and a whisper of black pepper.


Photo by Woodinville

Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Finished in Port Casks

The Woodinville brand was founded by two best friends, Orlin Sorensen and Brett Carlile, in 2010 in Woodinville, Washington, about 30 minutes northeast of Seattle by car.  They received help and mentorship from the late David Pickerell, former Master Distiller for Maker's Mark and Whiskey Pig. Dave, who died on November 1, 2018, is considered the "Johnny Appleseed" of American craft distilling because he provided his vast knowledge and experience to assist many new distilleries to get off the ground. Another example of a distillery Dave worked with is Garrison Brothers in Hye, Texas. Woodinville focuses on three areas to ensure their whiskey is high-quality:

  1. All their grains are estate-grown and sourced from the Omlin family farm in Quincy, Washington.

  2. They use single-batch distillation in pear-shaped pot stills.

  3. Before the wood is turned into a barrel, it is seasoned outside in the open, exposed to the elements of air, rain, wind, sun, and snow for 18 months to soften its harsh tannins.

After seasoning, they toast the inside of the barrel for added complexity before finally heavily charring the barrel's inside to enrich the wood's desirable flavors.   

The Port Cask-finished label was released in 2017. The base whiskey for this product is the brand's flagship Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey. The bourbon is mashed and distilled at the Woodinville Distillery from a mash bill of 72 % corn, 22 % rye, and 6 % malted barley and aged for 5 years in pre-seasoned, toasted, charred American oak barrels. Next, the fully mature bourbon is moved to former Port casks, sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal, and further aged for 6 to 9 months before being bottled at 90 proof (45 % ABV). The Port introduces a rich texture and notes of sticky baked plums and chocolate-covered cherries, creating a complex and delectable bourbon you can really chew on.

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Nose: Vanilla and Sweet Berries

  • Caste: Caramel, Berry, and Dark Chocolate

  • Finish: Lingering Fruit



Photo by Amador Whiskey Co.

Amador Whiskey Co. Kentucky Rye Whiskey, Finished in Port Barrels

Amador Whiskey Company is owned by California wine supplier Trinchero Family Estates and is named after Amador County, located just east of Sacramento. All their whiskeys are double barrel aged, sourced Kentucky distilled whiskey, and finished in California wine casks. The Amador Port finished Rye is distilled at the Willet Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky, from a mash bill of 74 % rye, 11 % corn, and 15 % malted barley. The whiskey is aged for 3 years in new charred American oak barrels at the Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Finally, the rye whiskey is finished for 9 to 12 months in former medium toast French and American oak casks that formerly held Amador County Terra d'Orod'Oro Port, then bottled at 92 proof (46 % ABV). I recently read that Trinchero closed the Terra d'Orod'Oro Winery in Amador County at the end of August 2024. How will this affect where they source their American Port barrels moving forward? 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Deep copper brown color with red hue from Port wine barrels. Classic rye spice with aromas and flavors of gingerbread, cookie dough, toffee, and hints of vanilla and honey. Full bodied and decadent


Photo by Reserve Bar

Breckenridge Whiskey, Port Cask Finish

The Breckenridge Distillery is the "World's Highest Distillery," located in the famous ski town of Breckenridge, Colorado, 9,600 feet above sea level. It was founded in 2008 by Bryan Nolt, a doctor in Radiology turned distiller, who made a significant career transition after experiencing an epiphany while visiting Scotch distilleries in Scotland. 

The Breckenridge Port Cask Finish begins as their flagship high-rye bourbon, distilled at Breckenridge Distillery from a mash bill of 56 % corn, 38 % rye, and 6 % malted barley. The base bourbon is a blend of 3 to 8-year-old bourbon, made using high mineral-content Rocky Mountain water sourced from tarns, which are alpine lakes carved out by glaciers. Next, the mature bourbon is finished for 8 months in 10-to-20-year-old 59-gallon Tawny Port wine casks. The final product is non-chill filtered, bottled in 8 to 10 barrel batches at 90 proof (45 % ABV). The Breckenridge Port Cask Finish won a gold medal in 2023 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. 


Photo by Angel’s Envy

Angel's Envy, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Port Wine Barrels

When people think about port cask-finished bourbon, they think about Angel's Envy. Unlike most other brands that release a port cask-finish bourbon as a special release, limited-time offer, or line extension, Angel's Envy built their entire brand with their port cask-finished bourbon. Lincoln Henderson, founder and former Master Distiller, created the brand with his son Wes. Lincoln retired from Brown-Forman after a long and successful career, where he played an integral role in developing the Woodford Reserve brand and other successful Brown-Forman products like Gentleman Jack and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. He was also inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame. Inspired by the boom in craft distilling, Wes encourage his retired father to experiment with something new without the constraints of working for a large company. They finished their new bourbon in port barrels when very few American Whiskey producers did this. When you age whiskey in a barrel, a certain volume evaporates over time, often called the "Angel's Share." I have heard people cite that it's about 5 % in Kentucky. Well, the story goes, when Lincoln and Wes tasted their first batch of experimental whiskey, Lincoln joked that maybe they'd finally gotten a better deal and the angels should envy them. The legend of the name Angel's Envy was born. Lincoln Henderson died in 2013, and Bacardi bought the brand in 2015. 

The Angel's Envy Distillery is located in downtown Louisville across from the Louisville Slugger Field, home to the minor league baseball team, the Louisville Bats. The brand needs to provide more transparency regarding its production process. Angel's Envy sources their barrels from Louisville neighbor Kelvin Cooperage. They finish their Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in Ruby Port casks for an undisclosed time, then bottle the final product at 86.6 proof (43.3 % ABV). I have visited many Kentucky distilleries but have yet to go to Angel's Envy. I may need to schedule a visit to learn more about their production process. 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Nose: Subtle vanilla, raisins, maple syrup and toasted nuts

  • Palate: Vanilla, ripe fruit, maple syrup, toast and bitter chocolate

  • Finish: Clean and lingering sweetness with a hint of Madeira that slowly fades


Photo by TX

TX, Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Tawny Port Casks

The TX Bourbon Port Cask finish is the second Port Cask finished Texas bourbon on this list, along with the Garrison Brothers Guadalupe. The company was founded by Leonard Firestone & Troy Robertson in 2010. Unlike the Garrison Brothers Distillery near the Texas Hill Country, the Firestone & Robertson Distilling is located in Fort Worth in North Texas. Their TX Whiskey Ranch is 112 acres, truly a Texas-size property, and they claim to be the largest distillery west of the Mississippi River. Their Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey is a wheated bourbon distilled from yellow dent corn, soft red winter wheat, and barley, all grown by a 4th generation Texas farmer about an hour south of the distillery. They do not publicly disclose the mash bill. They ferment their mash with a proprietary strain of yeast captured from a Texas pecan. It is essential because a brand's mash bill plus yeast strain is known as their recipe. Texas source water is used for all parts of the production process. The whiskey is aged for a minimum of 4 years in North Texas. The brand emphasizes the bourbon is made with Texas ingredients for an undeniable Texas flavor. The brand was purchased by French spirits giant Pernod Ricard (Jameson, Absolut, Malibu) in 2019. TX launched its barrel finish series in 2021. The Port Cask Finish uses the base Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, finished in Tawny Port casks for an undisclosed time, is non-chill filtered, and bottled at 101.6 proof (50.8 % ABV).

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Nose: Toasted caramel, baked apple, sweet smoke, honey, cinnamon

  • Palate: Chocolate, baking spices, apricot, maple syrup

  • Finish: Long finish, warm, heavy dark fruit and molasses


Photo by Old Elk

Old Elk Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Port Cask Finish

Old Elk is a bourbon brand from Fort Collins, Colorado. Old Elk is one of the brands on this list I need to learn more about because I have never sold their brand professionally, so I will need to rely on the information they release publicly. One significant production difference that sets them apart is their "Slow Cut Proofing Process."

Their website says, "One of the things that sets Old Elk apart from the herd is our Slow Cut™ Proofing Process. For us it means extra steps and extra costs. For you it means the world-class quality you’ve come to expect from our products. To proof alcohol, water is added until the liquid reaches a desired strength. However, this creates a heat liberating reaction, and when you add hundreds of gallons of water in a day or two, it ends up boiling off many of the lighter, finer flavors. Here at Old Elk, though, we’ve always done things differently. Instead of a day, we spend weeks adding small increments of water to keep our liquid cool and save the delicate flavors our team works so hard to produce during mashing, fermentation, distillation, and maturation. It’s why we’ve deemed our whiskey Slow Cut™, and it’s why you can taste the quality in every sip." 

The Old Elk Bourbon Port Cask Finish is distilled from their signature high-malt mash bill of 51 % corn, 15 % rye, and 34 % malted barley. I believe all their whiskey is distilled in Indiana, which probably means it is sourced from Ross & Squibb, formerly MGP. The whiskey is aged for a minimum of 5 years in a new American charred barrel, then cask finished in a 59-gallon former Port cask from Portugal for 10 months to 1 year, and finally bottled at 108.1 proof (54 % ABV).

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • Honey, orchid, apples, oak, and a flavor profile featuring smoke on the finish


Photo by Garrison Brothers

Garrison Brothers Guadalupe, Texas Straight Bourbon Finished in a Port Cask

Garrison Brothers was the first legal distillery in Texas since Prohibition. They have distilled all their own bourbon since they opened and only produce one brand, both of which are a rarity these days. Their distillery is located in Hye, Texas, about an hour west of Austin by car. Their flagship Small-batch bourbon is the base whiskey used in all their cask-finished products. The Small Batch Bourbon is a wheated bourbon distilled from a mash bill of 74 % Corn, 15 % Red Winter Wheat, and 11 % Malted Barley, fermented using a sweet mash instead of the usual sour mash*, aged for a minimum of 4 years in toasted and charred new American white oak barrels. 

The idea for Guadalupe came from a previous wine-cask-finished project called Estacado. In 2016, Garrison Brothers collaborated with Texas winemaker Llano Estacado in the Panhandle. Llano Estacado is one of Texas's oldest winemakers. They traded them 20 wet Garrison Brothers bourbon barrels in exchange for 20 ten-year-old Texas-Port casks. Llano Estacado aged a Cabernet Sauvignon wine in the Garrison Brothers bourbon barrels, and they aged 4-year-old bourbon in their port casks. The result was Estacado port cask-finished Texas straight bourbon whiskey, bottled at 107 port (53.5 %). Founder Dan Garrison said," We took what we learned from our Estacado and improved it with Guadalupe." 

The burnt orange wax top can identify the Guadalupe label from the other Garrison Brothers products.  For the Guadalupe label, they cask-finish their 4-year-old wheated bourbon for two additional years in super wet tawny Port casks from Portugal, then bottle the final product at 107 proof (53.5 % ABV). A wet barrel, or wet cask, is when the original winery or a barrel broker ships the used barrels with a small portion of wine inside the barrel to keep the wooden staves moist and prevent them from cracking or leaking. A wet, well-seasoned barrel will provide a lot of flavor to the next whiskey added. Garrison Brothers chose to finish their Guadalupe for two years, which is a long time to finish a bourbon. Most cask-finish bourbons are usually less than a year, maybe 6-9 months. The final price certainly reflects all this care and attention to detail. In my home market of Oklahoma, this product costs between $132 and $144 per bottle when available. 

The distillery location has substantial temperature swings between the Texas summers and winters. A considerable evaporation loss called the Angel's Share gives Garrison Brothers a big, bold, and concentrated flavor profile. This unique taste makes it a perfect match for finishing in Port casks. Their website states, "Port wine is typically richer, sweeter, heavier, and higher in alcohol content. Most would say the same thing about Garrison Brothers bourbon." 

To give an example of how the Angel's Share affects the final product for Guadalupe, Master Distiller Donnis Todd selected 122 thirty-gallon bourbon barrels that had been filled initially in 2016. The Angel's share losses were about 13 gallons per barrel (liters), meaning there were just 2,065 gallons of bourbon to be used. This liquid was entered into thirty-five 59-gallon port casks in 2020. The brand considers this arguably the best bourbon vintage they have ever made. 

Tasting Notes from the Brand

  • A sensuous, creamy liquid. Full-on berry fruit. Ripe plums. Strawberry butter on flaky morning biscuits. Chocolate and cinnamon.  Lavender honey. Toasted coffee beans. Instant drool.


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Yellowstone Bourbon - Honoring America's First National Park, One Sip at a Time

Background

The current Yellowstone whiskey brand is produced at the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky, about an hour and a half south of Louisville and about 30 minutes south of Bardstown by car. 

In 1871, Charles Townsend, a sales manager at the liquor wholesale house Taylor & Williams, traveled to the newly created Yellowstone National Park, where he saw the famous geyser, Old Faithful. Townsend was so taken with this national wonder that he created and named a bourbon brand, Yellowstone, to honor it. Taylor & Williams contracted production with the J.T. Dant's Cold Spring Distillery in Gethsemane. Unfortunately, the distillery closed and was dismantled during American Prohibition. The Dant family established Yellowstone, Inc. and built a distillery in 1933 in Shively, Jefferson County. The Yellowstone Distillery and its brand were purchased by Glenmore Distilleries, Inc. in 1944. It eventually closed in 1970. 

Fast forward to October of 2010, Stephen and Paul Beam decided to become Kentucky Bourbon Distillers because when your last name is Beam and you're from Kentucky, why not? They formed the Limestone Branch Distillery in Lebanon, Kentucky, because there was good local access to grains and limestone water. Stephen and Paul broke ground on Limestone Branch on May 26, 2011. With the help of their father, who still had ties to the local bourbon community, the brothers reconstructed a small distillery inspired by distilleries of previous generations. Stephan Beam, the founder and master distiller, has a long whiskey-making lineage. On one side, his great-great-grandfather was renowned bourbon pioneer Joseph Washington Dant. Heaven Hill makes a bourbon called J.W. Dant that also honors his legacy. 

On the other side of the family, Stephan Beam's great-grandfather was Minor Case Beam, who began working in the bourbon business in 1871. By 1883, he was a master distiller in his own right. Minor Case's work in the bourbon business was cut short by prohibition. Minor Case Beam specifically inspired Stephan Beam to open his own distillery finally. The yeast used at Limestone Branch today is a clone of the yeast collected from MC Beam's own jug yeast, which they keep at the distillery. In addition to Yellowstone, Limestone Branch Distillery produces a Sherry cask-finished 4-year-old rye whiskey called Minor Case. 

Photo by Yellowstone

In 2015, they formed a partnership with the spirits supplier Luxco to produce the brand at Limestone Branch with the creation of the Yellowstone Select Kentucky Bourbon label. The Luxco portfolio also includes other brands like Ezra Brooks and Rebel Bourbon, Exotico and El Mayor Tequila, Saint Brendan's Irish Cream, The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey, and my personal favorite, Everclear Grain Alcohol. Just kidding. 

Side note: the contract distiller and food ingredients producer MGP acquired Luxco in 2021, so they are the ultimate parent company, but their subsidiary Luxco still manages the Yellowstone brand. Finally, despite what people think, there is no connection between the brand and the popular neo-western TV show by Paramount starring Kevin Costner.

Philanthropy

Photo by Yellowstone

Next, I want to highlight two worthwhile organizations that the Yellowstone brand supports to ensure they are doing their part to help organizations across the globe to conserve unique places like the National Parks. Successful companies have a duty to give back; with a name like Yellowstone, this is a perfect combination. They have a great line on their website that I really love. "In sharing our name with America's first National Park, we want to do our part in ensuring this bond of park and bourbon runs deeper than name alone."

The first organization is the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). Yellowstone partnered with the NPCA in 2018 to support their mission to protect and preserve our National Parks. In 2023, Yellowstone donated $250,000 to them, making the brand one of the NPCA's most significant corporate benefactors. The second organization is the Trans Canada Trail, which connects people with the parks and nature across Canada. In 2023, Yellowstone will contribute $30,000 to the Trans Canada Trail. 


Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone Select, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

The Yellowstone Select is the brand's flagship product. It combines 4-year-old and 7-year-old bourbon distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley and bottled at 93 proof (46.5 % ABV). Yellowstone Select won a gold medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

  • Note - Rye spice with soft, leathered cherries

  • Palate - Smoked caramel with hints of vanilla and honey

  • Finish - Smoky oak brown sugar

Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone Toasted, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished with Toasted Oak Staves

The Yellowstone Toasted was the first release in the "Special Finishes Collection." This product starts as the 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley used for the Yellowstone Select. Next, the bourbon is finished with toasted staves for an undisclosed period. The brand offers little transparency on this product, but they tell us they use at least five toast-style staves. The staves used for the second finishing are described as high toast, American oak double toast, high vanilla, rick house, and spice rack staves. The final product is bottled at 100 proof (50 % ABV). Yellowstone Toasted won a double gold medal at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.

I'll provide a general explanation for toasted-finished bourbons because they are so popular these days. Once the base bourbon has reached the target flavor profile, in this case, it's around four years, and additional wooden staves are added inside that barrel for a specific period. For Yellowstone Toasted, the company does not tell us how long they finish this product. The added staves have been toasted for particular lengths to generate an ideal flavor they might impart. For example, specific toasting methods might develop a strong vanilla or coffee flavor in the whiskey. Usually, a producer will add a combination of staves, imparting different types of oak flavor and hopefully creating greater complexity.

  • Nose - Toasted caramel, vanilla, hints of fall spices and cinnamon

  • Palate - Walnut, toffee, black tea and white pepper

  • Finish - Cocoa and tobacco with a crisp oak finish

Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone Rum Cask, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks

The Yellowstone Rum Cask is the second release in the "Special Finishes Collection." At the time of writing, in October 2024, this is the newest release from the brand. This product starts as the 4-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled from a mash bill of 75 % corn, 13 % rye, and 12 % malted barley used for the Yellowstone Select. Next, the bourbon is cask-finished for 9 weeks in rum barrels sourced from Havana, Cuba. The final product is bottled at 100 proof (50 % ABV). 

  • Nose - Gingerbread, poached pear and fresh-cut hay

  • Palate - Toasted marshmallow, crème brûlée, toffee and toasted oak

  • Finish - Tobacco, clove and cocoa-seasoned oak with a long honey finish

Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey

The Yellowstone American Single Malt Whiskey is not a bourbon but a 4-year-old whiskey distilled from malted barley at a single distillery. They do not disclose what style of malt(s) they use. This product is bottled at 108 proof (54 % ABV). 

  • Nose - Cereal malt and honey with a hint of peach blossom

  • Palate - Sweet medium body with notes of honey, pear, stone fruit and dates

  • Finish - Notes of oak with hints of cinnamon and English walnuts

Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone Limited Edition, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in Cognac and Brandy Casks (2024)

The Yellowstone Limited Edition is an annual limited-release product that explores the brand's most premium blends and cask finishes. Each release is unique and different from the previous year. Like most limited-release products, this usually becomes available in the fall. The 2024 expression is a 7-year-old and 17-year-old bourbon double-finished in French brandy and Cognac casks and bottled at 101 proof (50.5 % ABV).


Photo by Yellowstone

Yellowstone Hand Picked Collection, Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Yellowstone offers a customer-pick or store-pick single-barrel program. These products will be bottled as a single barrel at barrel proof.  They are all slightly different because no two barrel-proof single barrels are the same. The production and bottling details should be available on the label. 


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The Complete Guide to Wyoming Whiskey - Wyoming's First Legal Distillery

Background 

Wyoming Whiskey was the first legal distillery in the state, located in the Big Horn Basin in Kirby, Wyoming. In 2006, fourth-generation ranchers, as well as lawyers Brad and Kate Mead, wanted to diversify their business ventures by making Wyoming's first premium whiskey using only regional ingredients. The Mead family first came to Wyoming in 1890. For more than a century, the family's ranches in Spring Gulch and Kirby have thrived, taking their place as permanent staples in the Wyoming community and landscape. They were joined by friend and fellow lawyer David DeFazio, whom they met through their firm. Since the group had no whiskey-making experience, they brought in Steve Nally, a 33-year veteran of Maker's Mark. He was the keystone of Wyoming Whiskey's early development, creating the recipe for their first product and the processes to craft it. Steve's background at Maker's Mark makes it easy to see why the brand uses a wheated bourbon mash bill. Edrington, an international spirits company and the parent company for Macallan and Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky, recently purchased a majority share of the brand.

Photo from Wyoming Whiskey's Facebook

A Sense of Place 

Wyoming Whiskey is distilled grain-to-glass in Kirby, Wyoming. The whiskey is never sourced, and the distillery does not do any contract distillation for other brands. The brand uses a wheated bourbon mash bill of 68 % corn, 20 % wheat, and 12 % malted barley. The distillery sources non-GMO corn, wheat, barley, and rye locally from Wyoming farmers. It's essential for the owners to know who grows their grains. Their partners, Brent and Sherri Rageth in Byron, Wyoming, have worked with Wyoming Whiskey from the start to select strains of non-GMO corn, winter wheat, barley, and winter rye for specific starch and sugar yields because those are the building blocks of whiskey-making. Brent cultivates a corn strain that matures in 90 days, ideal for Wyoming's high-elevation short growing season. Here is an example of the grain quantity required to produce one batch of bourbon: One cooking mash contains 2,166 gallons (8,199 liters) of liquid, 1,100 gallons (4,164 liters) of water, and 450 gallons (1,703 liters) of backset. There will be 57 bushels of grain, including 3,183 pounds (1,444 kilograms) of corn, 951 pounds (431 kilograms) of wheat, and 570 pounds (259 kilograms) of malted barley. To clarify, sour mash, sometimes referred to as backset, takes some of the residue from the first distillation run and places it back in the fermenter for use in the next round of fermentation. The backset is very acidic and essential in fermentation. The sour mashing process assists in creating a consistent product from one batch to another.

Water is a crucial and often forgotten ingredient in the production of all distilled spirits. Your whiskey is only as good as your water. Wyoming Whiskey has access to an unrivaled glacier-fed source of water. A mile below Manderson, Wyoming, lies the Madison Formation, a limestone aquifer from which they source their water. This limestone rock is millions of years old, and the water that it filters hasn't seen the light of day since the Bronze Age, over 6,000 years ago. A bourbon brand's recipe is the mash bill plus their yeast strain. Without yeast, there would be no fermentation, and each distillery's unique yeast strain is a particular building block that helps achieve the desired flavor profile. Wyoming Whiskey uses a combination of two yeasts: a high-yield yeast and a second proprietary yeast that yields a bit less but produces a slightly fruitier alcohol.

Photo from Wyoming Whiskey's Facebook

Production

Their whiskey is double distilled on-site in small batches using a custom-made column still from Vendome Copper and Brass that is 18 inches wide and 38 feet tall.  All Wyoming Whiskey's products are aged for a minimum of 5 years in one of six rack houses in the unique terroir of Kirby with its natural hot and cold temperature swings, ranging from 135°F (52°C) at the height of summer to -30°F (-34°C) in the depths of winter. The aging temperatures can fluctuate dramatically from day to night. These temperature swings and heat intensity causes barrels to breathe in and out, taking the best flavors and colors from the oak. That's tough on people but good for the whiskey. The brand maintains an old-school mentality, believing nothing can replicate the magic from the simple combination of time, temperature, and charred oak. The brand's flagship product is called Small Batch. Every brand defines its version of a small batch differently. Wyoming Whiskey bottles are around 48 to 53 barrels for their batch size. They pull from a "pyramid of barrels" in the rack house to achieve a consistent flavor profile. Since they do not rotate their barrels, this is the best way to mingle with their batch.  Sometimes, achieving the desired flavor profile takes a few extra barrels. Edrington, the brand's parent company, specializes in Sherry cask-finished whiskey, especially with their most popular brand, Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky. I believe they even own their own Sherry Bodega in Spain now. The Double Cask label is finished for 6 to 13 weeks in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. They reuse the barrels several times, so the exact length of time varies slightly. Each batch is tested to ensure it has hit the correct amount of secondary maturation. 



Photo by Brian Donnelly

Photo by Brian Donnelly

Wyoming Whiskey, Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey

Small Batch is a wheated bourbon, distilled grain-to-glass at Wyoming's first legal distillery. It is the brand's flagship and defining product. All Wyoming Whiskey is distilled at their distillery in Kirby, located in the Big Horn Basin, from a mash bill of 68 % corn, 20 % wheat, and 12 % malted barley. All grains are sourced locally from Wyoming, and all water is sourced from a glacier-fed limestone aquifer. Their bourbon is aged on-site at the distillery for a minimum of 5 years in the dramatic temperature swings ranging from 135°F at the height of summer to -30°F in the depths of winter, which cause barrels to breathe in and out, taking the best flavors and colors from the oak. This product is bottled in small batches, around 50 barrels at 88 proof (44 % ABV). Wyoming became the 44th state of the United States on July 10, 1890. The brand pays a small homage with their alcohol by volume bottling strength.

Wyoming Whiskey, Double Cask, Straight Bourbon Whiskey Finished in Sherry Casks

Double Cask starts with the same 5-year-old wheated bourbon used for the Small Batch label. Edrington, the brand's parent company, specializes in Sherry cask-finished whiskey, especially with their most popular brand, Macallan Single Malt Scotch Whisky. The base bourbon is cask-finished (secondary maturation)  for 6 to 13 weeks in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks. They reuse the barrels several times, so the exact length of time varies slightly. Each batch is tested to ensure it has hit the correct amount of secondary maturation. This product is bottled at 100 proof (50 % ABV). 


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