Wyoming Whiskey Small Batch Bourbon 750ml

The Nose:  A crisp, fresh, almost lighthearted bourbon nose. Hot caramel sauce and caramelized sugar, marzipan, a touch of pink lady apples, and a little orange zest and lemon oil. Behind that, there’s Mexican vanilla bean, stoneground wheat crackers, and a hint of flat RC Cola. The oak is fairly upfront and bright – sawn boards, tannic in a medium-ish way. Faintly herbal spice notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, with a subtle bit of anise and mint.

The Palate:  The palate picks up some of the more unique notes from the nose and runs with them. The caramel and burnt sugar notes are still there, as is some of the citrus zing and that bit of cola. The wheat is still toasty, but now there’s also a nice grassy, fresh wheat berry element. Earthy vanilla and faint candied almonds lead to woodier notes. The oak is sturdier and more tannic, and the spice more pronounced. Cinnamon and clove are joined by more anise and mint with a bit of slightly over-popped popcorn towards the end.

The Finish:  Lingering burnt sugar and vanilla bean, with lighter oak notes, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg fading to a hint of chocolate mint at the last.

Thoughts:  Well done, Wyoming. This whiskey manages to sidle up close enough to the expected wheated bourbon profile to be recognizable, while at the same time, introducing some nicely integrated, yet unexpected elements to keep things interesting. There’s an alluring fruity brightness here that could seem youthful at first, but this doesn’t drink like a young whiskey, it’s relatively smooth and has a nice depth to it. Might that be due to that 2nd  yeast strain? Across it all, the wheat of the mashbill comes through nicely as does a subtle mint & anise herbal quality. Wyoming Whiskey has managed to do something that many “craft” distilleries haven’t, they’ve persevered up and over that learning curve and are now producing a bourbon that rivals their initial inspiration. Perhaps a little pricey value-wise at around $40 but bear in mind this is a much smaller volume producer. Also bear in mind that, these days, all the big bourbon makers seem to be pushing the price upwards, so perhaps this is perfectly in line as it is. I’m looking forward to trying more from Wyoming. Recommended.

-- The Casks (thecasks.com)