Wilderness Trail Rye (Jack Rose)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm liking Rye more than Bourbon these days. And today's Rye is probably the most interesting one yet. Making it particularly fun is that it's a Jack Rose pick.

Jack Rose Dining Saloon is a ridiculous whiskey bar in Washington, DC. They have thousands of bottles, many unusual and rare, lining the walls and easily making up the most impressive whiskey list I've seen anywhere (including Scotland and the US). During Covid they were forced to shut down, like restaurants everywhere (but certainly in DC), and in an attempt to stave off layoffs they began selling off their astounding collection. Though it was a little depressing at first eventually they started operating as a pop-up bottle shop and purposefully getting whiskey for resale. Considering how well they know their stuff it's always good options, including lots of unique barrel picks, though the prices are only okay. I still haven't been to the bottle shop but my wife has and on one visit she grabbed this bottle from Wilderness Trail.

Founded only in 2012, Wilderness Trail Distillery is located in Danville, KY. The creation of two men with experience doing fermentation, they also both have family with roots in the alcohol industry. Desiring to make high quality American spirits, Wilderness Trail is all about combining new technology with longstanding Kentucky tradition. With a background in fermentation they seem especially proud of their yeast. The grains, except the malted barley, are locally sourced. A proprietary 'Infusion Mashing Process' supposedly finds the ideal balance point between heat required and grain degradation. They're the first to use a chemical-free steam boiler. And they use a 'Sweet Mash' recipe, less acidic than the more usual sour mash. According to their site, in addition to this Rye they offer three bottled-in-bond Bourbons: the 6-year and single barrel expressions are wheated, the small batch is not. There's also vodka (using the wheated Bourbon mashbill) and rum (aged in Bourbon barrels).

Wilderness Trail gets its name from Wilderness Road, one of the routes taken by early settlers into Kentucky, which passed through present day Danville. This trail was initially blazed, or marked, by now famous pioneer Daniel Boone. Danville was the first capital of the territory and thought of as the birthplace of the state.

This particular 'Settlers Select' rye is cask strength, or barrel proof, and at an ABV higher than what Wilderness Trail typically bottles. That means it's either from older stock and/or was done specially for Jack Rose. It comes from an always inherently variable single barrel, the number of which is noted on the bottle. I believe it says '15A2020B.'

Stats:

ABV - 57.5% (115 proof)

Mash - 56% rye, 33% corn, 11% malted barley

Maturation - new #4 char oak barrels

Age - 4 years minimum (6-8 expected)

Location - Danville, KY

Price - ~$70 (maybe a little less?)

Tasting Notes:

Smell - Rye grain and spice, some sort of fruit, burnt sugar, definite booziness

Color - Copper

Taste - Oodles of fruit (apples and oranges?), like a candy sweetness, oak and rye follow

Finish - While certainly strong and has a longish rye-y burn, there's a softness here too

Final Thoughts:

Well that's tremendous. The distillery is doing something (or many things) right and it's all the more impressive how new it is. This whiskey they created imparts some truly unique waves of flavors and then, even at a high proof, isn't overly harsh. Don't get me wrong, you can tell it's strong at 115 proof, but how it tastes is soft if that makes any sense. Most impressive of all there's nothing that screams young or cheap. I'm buying into the new-fangled methods and would absolutely try something else from Wilderness Trail, though lets be honest this Rye is probably their best.

Thanks Jack Rose for this one. And you D.