Reviews of Wollersheim Family Reserve: Bourbon & Rye

 

I’ve been following Wollersheim Winery & Distillery since before it was making whiskey. Located in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, it began growing grapes in the 1840s. Peter Kehl built the winery, and his son, Jacob, started distilling brandy around 1876. 

 

It distilled brandy as early as 1876 and operated as a winery and distillery until Prohibition shut down the entire operation (a big two thumbs down!). In 1972, Bob Wollersheim reopened the winery, while his son-in-law, Philippe Coquard, wanted to resume distilling brandy. There was a problem: Wisconsin’s arcane laws prohibited wineries from distilling spirits, so Wollersheim and Coquard concentrated on winemaking. In 2009, Wisconsin entered the modern world when it passed legislation rescinding that limitation. 

 

“Philippe has had a lifelong love of Cognac, a particular type of grape brandy from France. His goal was to make the Coquard Brandy a Cognac-style brandy, best for sipping.” – Wollersheim Distillery

 

In 2015, Philippe and his son-in-law, Tom Lenerz, erected a separate building to house the distilling operation. Tom wanted to create not only brandy but also whiskey, gin, and absinthe. It didn’t take him long to tinker with the still and distill his unique mashbills using locally grown grains. In 2018, Distiller Tom (as I like to call him) released his first whiskey: Round Top Rye.

 

Several whiskeys have dropped since, including two Bottled-in-Bond Bourbons, a private barrel of Bourbon I helped pick in 2020, and a line of experimental whiskeys aptly named The Curiosity Collection.

 

It has been incredibly fun to experience Tom’s growth as a distiller. The crazy thing is, I’ve been enjoying this journey for a decade now!

 

On Friday, October 25, I returned to Prairie du Sac to see what was going on in Tom’s world. He took me back to his little corner of the warehouse where his experimental barrels rested. A handful were barrels that contained the same mashbill, but aged in barrels of different char or toast levels or sourced from a variety of coopers. Let’s just say that it was a barrel geek’s delight!

 

We then perused the rest of the warehouse, and Tom randomly tapped barrels: some Bourbon, some Rye, and others in the midst of their finishing cycles. A memorable one was a Rye finishing in an Au Pomme barrel. My memory is a bit fuzzy (pulling whiskey straight from the barrel will do that), but I believe that one was from Barrel 666, which he called the Devil’s Barrel.

 

As we wrapped up the day, Tom handed me two bottles from his Family Reserve single-barrel whiskey label: a Bourbon and a Rye. I’ve cracked open both to share my thoughts with you.

 

While these particular barrels are no longer available, Wollersheim occasionally releases others under its Family Reserve label, which gives you a general idea of what Tom is capable of.

 

I thank Wollersheim Distillery for this #DrinkCurious opportunity in exchange for my no-strings-attached, honest reviews.

 

Family Reserve Straight Bourbon Barrel #16050

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Bourbon
• Distiller: Wollersheim Distillery
• Age: 8 years
• Mashbill: Sweet mash of 75% corn, 10% wheat, and 15% malted barley
• Cooperage: 18-month seasoned, toasted, then charred, new American 53-gallon oak barrels
• Alcohol Content: 60.5% ABV (121°)
• Price per 750mL: $69.99
• Non-Chill Filtered

 

Appearance: I poured the Bourbon into my Glencairn glass and approached it neat. Inside, the liquid looked like filtered apple cider, forming a thin rim with thick, crazed, fast tears.

 

Nose: After waiting about 15 minutes, I began nosing my glass and discovered smells of corn, sandalwood, roasted almonds, pecans, apples, and muted cherries. I found lemon zest and floral notes when I pulled the air into my mouth.

 

Palate: The Bourbon’s texture was dense and creamy. The palate shock consisted of bold, toasted oak. With the second sip, I identified (get this) Mexican street corn. At my mid-palate, I tasted pipe tobacco, caramel, and baked apples. The back offered toasted oak, clove, and ginger spice.

 

Finish: After I swallowed, there were some serious oak notes married with clove, candied ginger, and roasted Anaheim peppers. It remained mostly in my throat; in my mouth, it was brief except for where it parked on the tip of my tongue. Per my stopwatch, the duration ran 2:02, which is very long, yet shorter than what was going through my mind.  

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: For an eight-year-old, cask-strength Bourbon, I was shocked at how light its color was. I know Tom plays around with different char levels —anything between 1 and 4. The mouthfeel was classic for a wheated Bourbon. The palate was a mind-bender; I can safely say I’ve never used Mexican street corn as a tasting note before, but here we are. The finish threw me for a few loops; it was spicy but sweet, yet not sugary, and it seemed to last forever.

 

If you want a wild ride with a ton of character, this incarnation of Family Reserve Bourbon won’t disappoint. It’s a winner and deserves my Bottle rating.

 

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Family Reserve Straight Rye Barrel #16050

 

• Whiskey Type: Straight Rye
• Distiller: Wollersheim Distillery
• Age: 7 years
• Mashbill: Sweet mash of 66% rye, 22% corn, and 12% malted barley
• Cooperage: 18-month seasoned, toasted, then charred, new Missouri oak 53-gallon barrels
• Alcohol Content: 59.7.5% ABV (119.4°)
• Price per 750mL: $59.99
• Non-Chill Filtered

 

Appearance: A neat pour in my Glencairn glass revealed a whiskey with a tiger’s-eye topaz color and a thicker rim. Thick, tightly-packed, fast tears fell back to the pool.

 

Nose: I gave this whiskey about 15 minutes to breathe. The aroma included dark chocolate, rye bread, caramel, and what I swear was smoked brisket. Drawing the air through my open lips, I encountered rich, milk chocolate.

 

Palate: The Rye’s mouthfeel was thin and slick, and featured a bold cinnamon palate shock. My next sip allowed me to concentrate on flavors, with rye bread, caramel, and toffee on the front of my palate. Midway through, I tasted leather, allspice, and cocoa. The back went big with charred oak, cinnamon spice, and fresh rye bread.

 

Finish: The rye bread was almost chewy. It seemed to have been dipped in dark chocolate, which came from nowhere. Caramel held on through the entire duration; young leather was next, and everything seemed to be hugged by cinnamon spice. I felt it in my cheekbones! It weighed in at 2:09, making it very long.

 

Bottle, Bar, or Bust: The rye bread dipped in dark chocolate was fascinating. Overall, this is an excellent American Rye; that smoked brisket on the nose made my mouth water. Part of me wanted that to come through on the palate, but it didn't. But the palate kept me engaged from the beginning to the end. While this Rye wasn’t part of Wollersheim’s Curiosity Collection, it could easily fit there. I enjoyed the heck out of it, I believe you will, too. It earns my Bottle rating.

 

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Final Thoughts: Between the two, I preferred the Bourbon, mainly because it was captivating and confusing (in a good way). The Rye shouldn’t be discounted; it was just less unique than the Bourbon. I know I said this earlier, but it is so much fun to experience Distiller Tom’s talent as his whiskeys mature. 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.