Day 3 of the #12DaysofWhiskeyExchange that @bourbondipity_ coordinated. This pick was put forth by that same gracious host! We are still rocking the wheated bourbon theme with this Boone County single barrel. I have never tasted their wheated bourbon before, but I have tried their small batch bourbon which is fantastic. This is a great brand I definitely recommend you take a look into.
The Boone County Distilling Co spirits of today take inspiration from the best of these men. The courage of Reverend John Tanner. William Snyder’s untamed creative spirit. The practical determination of Appleton, Jenkins, and Gaff. All tempered by the refined elegance invoked by Freiberg and Workum. A progression that itself mirrors the production and maturation of a fine bourbon whiskey.
Those early pioneers have long since departed, but their influence is unmistakable in BCD's craftsmanship. That’s the promise in the brand’s ethos, “Made by Ghosts”. An example of reverence for history can be seen in the brand’s design: The “8” linking the words “Boone” and “County” reflect the original “Registered Distillery 8” designation. In these simple, honest ways, they honor those who came before us.
Let's get into this one!
Company on Label: Boone County Distilling Company (Made By Ghosts)
Whiskey Type: Wheated Bourbon
Mash Bill Percentages: 51% Corn, 45% Wheat, 4% Malted Barley
Proof: 108.8°
Age: 8 years
Further identification: Distilled Spring of 2013; Barrel # BCW55; This is MGP's Indiana wheated bourbon mash bill
Nose: I'm invited from across my desk by the unmistakable sweetness of a good bourbon. Upon lifting the glass to meet my nose, I'm greeted with rich red berries, soft vanilla sweetness and peppery caramel. Funky molasses rising up powerfully now. Coming back to it after a bit of a rest reveals a delectably complex caramel drizzle. This certainly reminds me of some older MGP releases with some hints of leather starting to build up on top of the softest of oaks; that softening always seems to happen with high wheat content mash bills. Deeper pulls have a bit of spice to them! Dry cinnamon flashes up alongside some sweet peach. Plum builds now as I clear the class of some lingering vapor. Wow, this just completely filled back up with fruit-forward notes; the mainstay being an awesome peach cobbler. I think I'll take a sip while things are going this sweet! After sipping the nose invokes some more caramel and molasses as a slight strand of lemon frosting trails across the surface. Country stone ground whole wheat bread (specifically Freihofer's) comes around now as well. Later in the glass the palate really starts to shine and the nose starts to take a bit of a back seat. The overall feel is still a lovely fruit medley with caramel and a great deal of vanilla undercurrents. Very late in the glass things took a turn for the best on the nose... With a big return of almond extract and slight peanut brittle, this just crossed into a territory of really complex noses. The empty glass smells of coconut shells, syrupy peach cobbler, and a hint of dark chocolate.
Palate: Wow, that is incredibly vanilla forward on the first sip of the day. Lovely smoky crème brûlée forms fast, and it almost hints upon a touch of peat level of smoke for a moment right there before that flashes away. It calmly collects itself back into a heavy char oak and candied caramel linger. Ooooh another sip builds upon some of the previous flavors with a candied cherry bubbling up quickly. This glass really begs for subsequent sips to really build a powerful flavor experience, but the linger is incredibly long and rewarding if you can resist that temptation. Plum, apricot and hints of red grape perform very well under pressure; this almost comes off like a sangria kind of experience with much more of a thick, syrupy mouth feel. Sweet tooth - you've been warned! This is quite sweet, but not overpoweringly so. Lavender, tarragon and strawberry cereals build in well. There is just an inkling of star anise that I think would easily go unnoticed if you weren't really digging for it. My last sip is a larger one and I swished it long to savor it. The mouth coating has a touch of cardamom alongside the fruit medley I've been experiencing all throughout this pour. The linger is impossibly long and intense with lemon zest, plum and a red oak fire roaring in the fireplace.
Rating: 4/5
Wow, I was really on the fence about giving this one a 5. It has been a while since I've experienced what I thought was a 5, so I went back to one before filling in my final score. I know I don't presently do fractional scores, but this would easily earn a 4.5 in my book, for what it's worth. This is really such a fantastic bottle I would love to have on my shelf forever! I do fortunately have a bottle of this to try, another 8 year in barrel BCW45, only 10 away from this one. Looking forward to trying that barrel too. I am incredibly excited for this release to get even older, as I think some of those nuances will come alive. 10 years might push this to true unicorn status for me. Regardless, what a great night of pours already - I'm thankful for getting to try new things! Cheers to all.