This cask strength wheated bourbon is one of several different private selection single barrel picks done by Virginia ABC from Cathead Distillery in Jackson, Mississippi’s first legal distillery that was founded in 2010. Part of its “Estate Collection” of whiskies that were distilled, aged, and bottled entirely at the distillery, this bourbon is made from a mash bill of Mississippi grown corn (65%), wheat (28%), and sorghum (7%). It was pot distilled and aged for eight years.
The regular Estate Collection “Delta Reserve” wheated bourbon is aged in barrels with level #2, #3, and #4 char – it’s unclear if this bottle was aged in the same types of barrels since it is a single barrel state pick. This bottle is 110.11 proof (55.06% ABV).
Amber/copper in the glass, the bourbon’s aroma profile is very fruity (cherries and fruit-flavored bubblegum) that hit immediately after the bottle is opened. This fruitness is followed by honey-drenched toast, caramel, vanilla, honeysuckle florality, and light baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves). The bourbon’s aroma profile is very nice and does not have the “craft-y” rough edges that I normally get on small producer bourbons. As of right now, I like its aroma profile much more than those of fellow wheated bourbons Weller Special Reserve and Green River Wheated Full Proof.
Cherries (reminiscent of cherry pie filling), honeyed toast hit on the palate as well followed by creamy caramel and vanilla, black pepper, toasted almonds, balanced oak, and slightly drying baking spices (the same as on the nose). The finish is a balanced mix of those baking spices mixed with honey sweetness and a bit of oak tannin bitterness that balances it out.
There is a long finish (9-11 seconds) with the flavors beginning to fade around 8-9 seconds, though remnants of the flavors remain for longer.
The “craft-y” character comes out a bit on the palate more than on the nose. It leaves a nice “Mississippi hug” of heat in the chest after the sip – the bottle drinks a bit hot initially, but I’ll see if the ethanol heat mellows as the bottle opens up some more.
So far, this Old Soul wheated bourbon joins Jeptha Creed, Frey Ranch, and Ben Holladay as those distilleries producing craft bourbons that I actually quite enjoy. I look forward to seeing how it continues to develop with aeration.
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