Second Barrel Tasting at Cathedral Ledge

I brought home two bottles from the first 
barrel of wheated bourbon - one for me, and the
other for Dan.

Since our first barrel tasting back in July, I've been eagerly awaiting the second opportunity to sample Cathedral Ledge's craft whiskies during the aging process.

Given that the distillery had already released its first wheated bourbon and its first rye, I wasn't sure what the new samples would be, given that its straight bourbon was still the only unreleased aged spirit.

It turns out that 2021's infamous supply chain problems provided the answer. The cooperage where the distillery gets its barrels wasn't able to ship barrels in the spring. The distillery decided to keep making distillate, storing it in stainless steel vessels until July, when the new shipment of barrels came in. Then, they barreled their rye bourbon and wheated bourbon on the same day in both #3 char and #4 char barrels, as well as a special barrel that they told us about later. This presented a unique opportunity for us to try the two spirits aged for exactly the same length of time (180 days) in each of the two different char levels. 

In order to make the comparison as accurate as possible, the distillery had drawn these samples in advance, and carefully proofed them to 90 proof, so this tasting lacked the drama of drawing the whiskey straight from the barrel with a thief, but it was as unique an experience as the first barrel tasting back in July.

Wheated and Rye Bourbon Tasting Notes

Just as at the last tasting, the first five spirits we tried were young, and still very grain forward. At the same time, it was really interesting to be able to focus on the differences in the grains, by swithcing between sample 1 and 3, or 2 and 5, or to focus on the barrel char by switching from 1 to 2 and 3 to 5, and there were differences.  

Sample # 1: Mid-Rye Bourbon: This is the mash for their as-yet unreleased straight bourbon product.  The mash bill is 69% corn, 19% rye, and 12% malted barley.  Aged 180 days in a #3 char barrel.     

Nose: Rye grain, new oak.

Palate: Strong ethanol bite on the front end, rye bread.

Finish: Mild peppery finish.

Sample # 2: Mid-Rye Bourbon: This is the mash for their as-yet unreleased straight bourbon product.  The mash bill is 69% corn, 19% rye, and 12% malted barley. Aged 180 days in a #4 char barrel.     

Nose: Dill, spice, ethanol.

Palate: Corn, pumpernickel bread, pepper.

Finish: Pepper and cinnamon.

Sample # 3 - Wheated Bourbon: This is the same mash as their recently released wheated bourbon product. The mash bill is 69% corn, 19% wheat, and 12% malted barley.  Aged 180 days in a #3 char barrel. 

Nose: Corn, wheat bread, new oak.

Palate: Light sweetness, popcorn.

Finish: Mild, sweet corn with a mild warming in the throat.

Sample # 5 - Wheated Bourbon: This is the same mash as their recently released wheated bourbon product. The mash bill is 69% corn, 19% wheat, and 12% malted barley.  Aged 180 days in a #4 char barrel. (Yes, I did skip #4.)        

Nose: Wheat bread, corn, oak.

Palate: Sweet corn, bread, light baking spice.

Finish: Grain, new wood.

The Mystery Whiskey Barrel

The distillery owner, Chris was quite secretive about barrel #4, and I've tried to keep its secrets from you for a while, just like he did with us.  In keeping with that, I'll give you what was the same, and my tasting notes first, and then tell you what made the barrel special - don't skip ahead!

Sample # 4 - Wheated Bourbon: This is the same mash as their recently released wheated bourbon product. The mash bill is 69% corn, 19% wheat, and 12% malted barley.  Aged 180 days in a #3 char barrel. 

Nose: Popcorn, rising bread, oak

Palate: Sweet corn and bread, with a bold pop of  woodiness in the mid palate that one of the other tasters described as a "wang." 

Finish: Mild, sweet corn, slightly earthy.

Opinions on this sample and its "wang" were really divided among those attending the tasting. As someone who loves the differences between one spirit and another and the "Oh my goodness what's that?" moment that comes with it, I have to admit that I enjoyed it. On the other hand, the club member who coined the word "wang" had a less favorable opinion of the experience!

What Makes The Barrel Different?

Barrel staves are made from quarter-sawn white oak, but cooperages don't just take freshly milled staves and start making barrels. They first kiln dry them, and then age them outdoors in the weather, stacked in crisscross fashion for several months up to two years before use. This process mellows the flavor of the resins contained in the wood and reduces the impact the wood has on the flavor of the whiskey.

The cooperage Cathedral Ledge uses claims it has a unique toasting process that makes this aging unnecessary. Completed barrels are toasted longer before being set afire to char. Everyone was a bit skeptical when Chris told us this, and Chris himself joked that the cooperage was running out of aged staves. The conclusion was that the distillery was going to continue to monitor how the spirit aged in this barrel, but was not going to make these barrels part of its regular process anytime soon.

The Final Sample

As the encore, the Bourbon Club members in attendance had the option to sample their choice of the finished 1-year old Wheated Bourbon or the Distillery's Barrel Rested Gin, which has been finished in a Wheated Bourbon barrel. Although I was curious about both, I ultimately decided to keep my the experience a pure bourbon tasting, and went with the Wheated Bourbon.

Sample # 6 - Cathedral Ledge Wheated Bourbon: The finished wheated bourbon release features the same mash bill as samples 3, 4, and 5 with 69% corn, 19% wheat, and 12% malted barley.  Aged 365 days in a #3 char barrel. 

Color: Honey.

Nose: Green apple, vanilla, grain.

Palate: Very sweet, caramel, vanilla, corn. 

Finish: Cinnamon, honey, warming in the throat 

In addition to the usual hors d'oeuvres, the distillery offered us a choice or sweet for the road. Nice as the cookies were, it was difficult to pass up vanilla ice cream topped with maple liqueur, and that was how I finished my evening.  

My second barrel tasting at Cathedral Ledge Distillery was certainly very different from the first.  For starters, I missed having Dan along, and there's definitely something special about seeing the whiskey drawn from the barrel directly. On the other hand, just like whiskey, its the differences between experiences that make them adventures, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

As always, thanks to Chris, Tracy, Taylor, and the rest of the Cathedral Ledge team for another amazing Bourbon Club experience. I'm looking forward to the next one, and to bringing my wingman along for it!