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.

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.

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.

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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