Whiskey
Acres Distilling Company is a farm-to-bottle
distiller. They grow and harvest their grain, distill, age, and bottle it in
Dekalb, Illinois. I’ve visited Whiskey Acres, and it has a very cool setup. Pro-Tip:
Check out their warehouse. I’ve never seen anything like it.
The
farming operations go back five generations. The father-and-son team of Jim
and Jamie Walter, along with Nick Nagele, were considered “the
most sophisticated farmers” with whom the late, great Dave Pickerell had worked.
Considering how many distillers and farmers Dave knew, that says something.
The
team at Whiskey Acres started distilling in 2014 with grains grown on its 2000-acre
farm. They do not source anything. Aging started in 15- and 25-gallon cooperage
before switching to standard 53-gallon barrels.
On
July 12, 2024, the distillery is releasing its oldest product yet: a 7-Year Bourbon!
I spoke to Dan Davis, one of Whiskey Acres distillers, who told me that
it is distilled from a mash of 75% yellow-dent corn, 15% soft winter wheat, and
10% malted barley. The distillate rested in new, #3-charred white oak barrels
from Kelvin Cooperage.
“We are excited to share our 7-Year Straight Bourbon, a blend of 12 carefully selected barrels aged between 7 and 8 years. Every drop of this bourbon was distilled BY US, sourced entirely from grain grown BY US, and aged and bottled BY US on our 5th-generation family farm. This release is a testament to the hard work and patience that we’ve committed to as an authentic and transparent estate distillery.” – Whiskey Acres Distilling Co.
It
is packaged at 53.5% (107°), and its suggested price is $74.99 for 750ml. Dan indicated
this is not a distillery-only item, and distribution will include Illinois,
Indiana, Nebraska, and California. It will also be available online at Seelbach’s.
Whiskey
Acres was kind enough to send me a sample of this Bourbon in exchange for my
no-strings-attached, honest review. Let’s #DrinkCurious and discover what it is
all about!
Appearance: I
poured this Bourbon into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. It was the color of mahogany
and formed a thin rim. Thick, slow tears rolled down the side of the glass.
Nose: This
whiskey smelled of candy corn, caramel, plums, charred oak, and chocolate. Drawing
that aroma into my mouth exposed me to cocoa and dry oak.
Palate: I found
the oily texture much thinner than I imagined. With the wheat content, I had a
preconceived notion that I had to cast aside. Sometimes, a mouthfeel can gain weight
as you continue to sip. That wasn’t the case with this Bourbon. What did seem
to increase was its slickness.
The front of my palate
encountered corn, cocoa, and leather flavors. The middle offered nutmeg, tobacco,
and caramel. The back tasted of ancient oak, clove, and dark chocolate.
Finish: My
stopwatch calculated a duration of 1:27, tossing this into the long
category. Dark chocolate, tobacco, clove, dry oak, and leather remained.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I would
never have guessed if you hadn’t told me this Bourbon was a wheater. It was reminiscent
of a traditional rye-based whiskey or, conversely, a wheat whiskey. The spice
influence was uncanny.
Whiskey Acres 7-Year Bourbon
is proofed correctly. It is easy to sip, and while 107° isn’t going to set your
throat afire, I could compare its effect to that of a more well-known 107° wheater.
It was spicy in the mouth, and I found it welcoming.
I was still thrown off by
the delicate mouthfeel. Wheat should correlate to a soft or creamy texture. The
anomaly was an attention-getter.
Is it worth $75.00? I believe
so; it is unlike most other Bourbons, and I recommend grabbing a Bottle
if you can get your hands on it. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages
you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit but begs you to do so responsibly.
Comments
Post a Comment
As we should drink in moderation, all comments are subject to it. Cheers!