Holladay Distillery Ancient Cave Collection - Toasted - French Oak, Heavy Toast, Char 1 Review

How many distilleries are you aware of that can trace their history back to Lewis and Clark? They didn’t found the distillery, but the duo is credited with discovering the limestone spring in what would be Weston, Missouri, in 1804. Two brothers, Ben Holladay and Major David Holladay, decided that the spring would become the site for a distillery.

 

Holladay… Holladay… why does that name ring a bell? Perhaps you’ve heard of Wells Fargo. Ben was the founder of Wells Fargo Express. He was known as the Stagecoach King, transporting folks from Missouri to the West Coast and points in between. Ben had his hands in several companies, and by 1864, he was the largest individual employer in the nation! 

 

It was in 1856 that the Holladays founded their distillery. It was known as Blue Springs Distillery, but as often happens in American distilling, it changed hands several times - first to George Shawhan, whose family named it the Shawhan Distillery in 1900. It changed in 1936 and was called the Old Weston Distillery before becoming McCormick Distilling Company in 1942. In 1993, the business was purchased by Ed Pechar and Mike Griesser.

 

McCormick Distilling is the oldest distillery west of the Mississippi River that still operates at its original location. The distillery is also one of the few that were allowed to remain open to bottle medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. Now, the Holladay Distillery operates as part of McCormick Distilling.

 

Today, we’ll explore a Bourbon from Holladay’s Ancient Cave Collection. The Ancient Cave Collection is the distillery’s experimental line, which includes several in the following categories: Smoked, Spiral Cut, Wave Stave, Double Oaked, and Toasted. Both of Holladay’s mashbills are involved. Specifically, we’re looking at Toasted – French Oak, Heavy Toast, Char 1.

 

So, what is Holladay’s Ancient Cave anyway?

 

“The Ancient Cave is the oldest structure onsite dating back to 1837. The structure has been transformed to include 72 ricks to house barrels crafted with different types of oak, toasting methods, spiraling, and smoking. The cave maintains a constant temperature of 60 degrees, which is an important control variable in the process.” – Holladay Distillery

 

A friend gave me what was left of his open bottle, suggesting he wasn’t a fan, and invited me to review it. So, without further ado, let’s #DrinkCurious.

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Holladay Distillery
• Age: 7 years, 2 months
• Mashbill: Corn, soft red wheat, malted barley
• Cooperage: 53-gallon new, #3 charred oak barrels, then French oak, heavy toast, #1 charred finishing barrel
• Alcohol Content: 50% ABV (100°)
• Price per 375mL: $45.00 (available only at the distillery)

 

Appearance: I used a Glencairn glass and poured myself an ounce neat. The whiskey was a deep, dark, mahogany color. It formed a massive, sticky rim, producing widely spaced, syrupy tears.

 

Nose: As I brought my glass to my face, the smell of black cherries was in the air. Next came thick caramel, toasted oak, and orange zest. I drew the vapor into my mouth and encountered cherry cola.

 

Palate: Ancient Cave’s texture was silky and carried a medium weight. I tasted cherry cola, caramel, and nutmeg on the front of my palate—the middle featured dark chocolate and hazelnuts. Toasted oak, clove, and dry leather notes were on the back.

 

Finish: Cherry cola, dry leather, toasted oak, and dark chocolate seemed to hang on for dear life. The dry leather stuck around the longest and seemed to run on and on. It reminded me of Cabernet Franc wine. The entire duration lasted 2:21, making it very long.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: Something I found interesting was the complete lack of heat from this Bourbon. It went down a bit too easily, making Ancient Cave Collection – Toasted one of those dangerous whiskeys; the ones that you can sip repeatedly, and before you know it, you’re plastered. Is that due to the colder maturation process?

 

I’ve come across cherry cola notes in several Bourbons, yet none dominated to this degree. It was undoubtedly an attention-getter.

 

I’m glad that this is only available in 375mL bottles because, at $45.00, this is an enjoyable experience. I’m not sure that I’d want a 750mL because I’d likely plow through a lot of it in one sitting, which would not be a good thing. I believe it deserves my Bottle rating, and if you happen to come across one, I’m sure you’d feel the same. 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.