Mary Dowling Kentucky Straight Bourbon Winter Wheat Mash Review

 

Mary Dowling is a name that most Bourbon fans should know but don’t.

 

Born in Kentucky in 1858, Mary Murphy was the daughter of Irish immigrants. In 1875, at 17, she married a man twice her age named John Dowling, who was born in Ireland. John and his brother Edward were partners in a distillery that produced a brand called Waterfill & Frazier. In the 1880s, John became a major partner, and the company was called Waterfill, Dowling & Company. The distillery had five warehouses to age its whiskey; four were bonded, and one was not, meaning that government regulations would not apply.

 

By 1900, John owned the distillery outright. Edward assisted, and they operated under the Pilgrimage Distilling Company. Mary was a shrewd businesswoman, and John had her join the company shortly before his death at age 61. Mary was his legal heir and suddenly became one of the few women to own, run, and manage a major distillery!

 

The distillery experienced a devastating fire in 1904, and Mary ensured it was quickly restored. Then, that evil bastard Prohibition came into play, effectively shutting down the American distilling industry. Only six distilleries were granted permits to offer medicinal whiskey; however, Dowling’s distillery wasn’t included. Mary saw the writing on the wall and began relocating her stocks elsewhere. She continued to sell illicitly, which she successfully ran for four years.

 

What stopped her were the revenuers, assisted by two bootleggers, who either Mary rubbed the wrong way or the duo cut a deal to avoid prosecution. They set her up, and she was busted, tried, and convicted. However, due to the court stenographer passing away without anyone understanding his notes, the conviction was overturned, and the charges were thrown out.

 

Rather than pack it in, in 1926, Mary hired Joseph L. Beam to carefully deconstruct the distillery and relocate it, piece by piece, to Juarez, Mexico, reconstruct it, and resume distilling Waterfill & Frazier Bourbon. He brought along his sons Otis and Harry to assist him. The “new” distillery was called Dowling Mexico.

 

Waterfill & Frazier was so successful that Julian Van Winkle, who was making the US version under his medicinal license, complained that Dowling Mexico’s version was outselling and undercutting his market share.

 

Mary died in 1930, a few years shy of Prohibition’s repeal. But her response, shoving her middle finger at the US government, taking her ball, and going elsewhere, was fantastic.

 

Incidentally, I have a Waterfill & Frazier artifact in my whiskey library.

 

Kaveh Zamanian is the CEO of Louisville’s Rabbit Hole Distillery and a Bourbon Hall of Fame whiskey maker. In 2023, he founded the Mary Dowling Whiskey Company. He aimed to pay homage to this amazing woman many consider the “Mother of Bourbon.”

 

“With Winter Wheat, we continue to honor Mary Dowling’s dedication to excellence and innovation in whiskey making. By leveraging the complexity of our unique Wheated Mash Bill and the influence of toasted barrel aging, Winter Wheat Bourbon delivers a rich depth of flavor that sets it apart. This expression is not only a testament to Mary’s instrumental role in keeping the Kentucky bourbon industry alive during Prohibition but is also a celebration of the artistry that defines our craft.” – Kaveh Zamanian

 

Winter Wheat utilizes a locally grown yeast strain and is distilled from 65% corn, 25% winter wheat, and 10% malted barley. It aged at least four years in new, #3 charred oak, medium-toasted, 53-gallon barrels from Kelvin Cooperage.

 

Packaged in a 750ml, beautifully embellished bottle at 45.5% ABV (91°), Winter Wheat is available in KY, MI, DC, MD, NJ, WI, IL, MN, OH, NY, TX, CA, LA, MA, FL, GA, IN and NV as well as its online store; it’s suggested price is $54.99.

 

I’m ready to #DrinkCurious and am grateful to Mary Dowling Whiskey Company for providing me with a sample of its Winter Wheat Bourbon in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review.

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. Inside, its color was dull copper. It produced a thin rim, discharging tightly spaced, thin, slow tears.

 

Nose: The aroma included cherry pie filling, almond nougat, lemon zest, vanilla, and toasted oak. I drew the air into my mouth and tasted more cherry pie filling.

 

Palate: A medium-weighted, oily texture started the journey across my tongue. The front of my palate encountered cherry pie filling, orange zest, and brown sugar. Flavors of spiced nuts, vanilla, and caramel hit my mid-palate. The back consisted of toasted oak, leather, and black pepper.

 

Finish: Long and lingering, the finish featured black pepper, cinnamon spice, thick caramel, fresh leather, orange zest, and toasted oak. I timed it at 2:08.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I’ve never had a chance to try Waterfill & Frazier, and the chances are high that I never would. I could easily understand why her Bourbon was so popular if it tasted similar to Mary Dowling Winter Wheat.

 

It drank five to ten points above its stated proof, giving it sufficient depth and character. That cherry pie filling and caramel was a lovely combination. The finish was a magnificent way to end the sipping experience.

 

Considering the above, plus that this is only a $55.00 Bourbon, I believe Mary Dowling Winter Wheat is the total package and is a slam-dunk Bottle rating; it is one of the best affordable Bourbons I’ve tried in 2024. 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.