Barrel: Five 53-Gallon Barrels ISC Char #4

Proof: 108 proof

Age: Blend of 4-Years 6-Months and 5-Years 6-Months

Bottle Count: 1,152 bottles

Mash bill: 56/33/11 Rye/Corn/Malted Barley

Tasting Notes: The nose opens up with lots of brown sugar, tropical notes and anise. This builds into some nice herbal notes. Not quite mint but more sweet basil. Bold and viscous, drinks far more mature than our recent single barrel rye. Toffee, tobacco, rye bread, hint of pine and bold clove on the palate. Long, sweet finish with a rye bite. This kicks up a Man Of War cocktail to 11. 

It's no secret that I'm a huge Wilderness Trail rye fan. I believe their rye holds up against any product currently on the market. That's goes for craft or heritage brand. When I heard from the private barrel director that there may have been a happy accident with some rye barrels I was intrigued. The 4-year and 6-month barrels were lower proof, high vanilla, toasted oak, and red fruit. The 5-year and 6-month barrel was big, bold and spicy. That gave the blend more darkness, and complexity. What the final blend is something special. I immediately sent a sample to T8ke and we both agreed. We needed this blend! This is one of the only private rye blends ever released by Wilderness Trail.