Wilderness Trail is a relatively new (2012) craft distillery out of Danville, Kentucky that is dedicated to producing quality whiskey, vodka, and rum from locally-sourced grains using their founders’ fermentation prowess and state-of-the-art scientific methods. Wilderness Trail released their first whiskey, a bottled in bond, back in 2018 and has since released a small batch bourbon and rye whiskey as part of its spirit portfolio.
This whiskey is made from a mash bill of 64% corn, 24% wheat, and 12% malted barley. It is not aged-stated, but from the bottled in bond designation we know it is at least 4 years old. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at 100 proof (50% abv). This bottle comes from Barrel No. 15D07, which yielded 252 bottles. Wilderness Trail BIB retails for roughly $50.
Tasting:
Appearance – orange amber.
Nose – traditional notes of caramel, vanilla bean, and baking spice are muddled in equal proportions and underscored by a pronounced note of musty oak. With additional time, the oak started to fade and revealed some botanical notes with a few hints of citrus.
Palate – oak wood presents initially, revealing some youth on the palate, but notes of toasted grain, chewy caramel, and cinnamon spice take over quickly. There is also a mild burn that develops mid-palate which really accentuates the overall sweet caramel profile.
Finish – the finish is medium with an average mouthfeel. A slight burn and some cinnamon spice transition from the palate, but I also found a few muted sweet notes (think dried apricot) and a dominant note of caramel popcorn.
