UNBENDT Barrel Proof Straight Malt Whiskey Review

 

If you head down to Lewisville, Texas, you’ll find Bendt Distilling. I first explored this distillery’s Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon and Rye. The Bottled-in-Bond Rye was so great that it earned my Best American Rye of 2023 Award. I’ve since reviewed a handful of its other offerings, including its Bottled-in-Bond Straight Malt Whiskey.

 

Founded in 2012 by Quentin Witherspoon, Ryan DeHart, Natasha DeHart, and Laurent Spamer, the Witherspoon Distillery opened in a Dallas, Texas, warehouse making rum. In only a year, a grain-to-glass malt whiskey project by intern Christy Cockre was a winner. It shifted the distillery’s focus, and Witherspoon Distillery quickly outgrew its home.

 

In 2015, the Witherspoon Distillery took on Sazerac as a minority-stake partner and moved operations to a former Piggly Wiggly in Lewisville, and in 2016, it brought in Lead Distiller Jacob Peraza. While the demand and business continued to grow, in 2018, Quentin exited the partnership. Simultaneously, the distillery added a “submarine still” that was creating newmake in 2019. And, despite the larger space, Witherspoon Distillery ran out of storage space. It took on an off-site aging warehouse. The remaining partners also changed the name from Witherspoon Distillery to BENDT Distilling.

 

When COVID hit, the distillery produced hand sanitizer like many others nationwide. In 2021, as things began to normalize, BENDT took on Karson Kasberg as an additional distiller.

 

Recently, Bendt Distilling sent me a bottle of its UNBENDT Barrel Proof Straight Malt Whiskey in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest review. I’m a little bit excited and a little bit worried, and that’s because there are times when the proofed-down version is better (and sometimes much better) than the uncut sibling.

 

Per the distillery, “UNBENDT Straight Malt is crafted from the finest local grains and craft malted barley,” which breaks down to 60% two-row malted barley and 40% soft red winter wheat. As such, this should not be confused with American Single Malt, of which this Straight Malt would not qualify.

 

This particular bottle comes from Barrel 1278, which was distilled on March 31, 2017, and bottled on December 5, 2024. It weighs in at 66.73% ABV (133.96°) and is priced at $85.00. It is a distillery-only item.

 

How does it taste? The only way to answer that is to #DrinkCurious. Let’s get started!

 

Appearance: I poured this whiskey into my Glencairn glass to sip neat. It was a deep, dark mahogany color with a slight orange hue. It formed a medium-thin rim that shed tightly spaced, medium-thick tears that raced back into the pool.

 

Nose: I took the glass and let it hover under my nostrils. The first smell I encountered was ripe plums, followed quickly by oak. Also present were cocoa, cherries, and a hint of citrus. Pulling that air into my mouth offered lime zest and dark chocolate tastes.

 

Palate: The creamy texture filled every nook and cranny of my mouth. It was, shockingly, not warm at all. The front of my palate discovered dark chocolate, stewed peaches, and tangerines. My mid-palate found Bit-O’-Honey candies and lime zest. Flavors of tobacco leaf, leather, and oak were on the back.

 

Finish: Here’s where the proof came into play. It warmed the inside of my mouth and throat with dark chocolate, leather, tobacco, rich caramel, and stewed peaches. Once all of those faded, clove popped out of nowhere. I timed the duration at 3:05, making it exceedingly long. There was also a drying quality.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: This barrel-proof malt whiskey drank perhaps 20 points under its stated proof, maybe even more. It did leave my hard palate slightly numb, yet the whiskey never approached what anyone could classify as hot. The fruity and spicy components were well-balanced, and I enjoyed the sweet and savory layers.

 

If you believe that you don’t like malt whiskeys, I would call UNBENDT Barrel Proof Straight Malt Whiskey a game-changer. I have been highly impressed with this Texas distillery – not everything has been a winner, but most of its portfolio falls under that category. I would love for them to do an American Single Malt just for the heck of it. Meanwhile, this whiskey has a slam-dunk Bottle rating and is a fantastic way to start 2025. 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.