Wheat Whiskey
While some whiskeys can be “wheated,” where wheat is used as a flavoring grain (i.e. Maker’s Mark bourbon), wheat whiskey is actually a separate category, defined by whiskey made primarily from wheat. In the U.S., wheat whiskey follows the same requirements for production as bourbon, with the exception of the majority grain in the mashbill. Wheat whiskey must be at least 51% wheat, distilled to no more than 160 proof, enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof, aged in new, charred oak barrels, and bottled at no less than 80 proof. To be designated a straight wheat whiskey in the U.S., it must be aged at least two years. Wheat whiskey is only rarely produced by larger U.S. distillers, but smaller craft producers are experimenting more and more with the style. In Scotland, wheat whiskey is sometimes used in blended Scotch. It is also a common whiskey style in Germany.
Top Wheat Whiskey Posts:
Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey
Masterson’s Straight Barley 10 Years Old and Straight Wheat Whiskey 12 Years Old
Parker’s Heritage Collection Original Batch Wheat Whiskey 13 Years Old (2014)
With rye, bourbon, and malt whiskey under its belt, what’s left for WhistlePig to explore? Well, wheat whiskey of course. Enter CampStock, a limited edition offering that’s actually a blend of two whiskeys — 85% wheat whiskey and 15% rye — which still merits a “wheat whiskey” designation. The whiskey is a collaboration of sorts…
Independent bottler Lost Lantern‘s spring collection has a name: The Midwest Collection, with a focus on bourbon and rye whiskeys (plus one wheat whiskey) from the center cut of the country. Seven total whiskeys are in this as-always tiny release, including one blend made out of rye sourced five of the six distilleries represented here.…
Maverick Distilling’s new triticale-based whiskey was born from a mistake. After ordering a batch of rye, the distillers discovered they had been sent the similar-looking triticale, a hybrid of rye and wheat. What the hell, the San Antonio-based operation decided, let’s make into whiskey anyway and see what happens. It’s an uncommon grain to use…
It’s been a hot minute since we last checked in on Michigan’s Journeyman Distillery. Now we’re back with a look at two humorously named expressions, one a wheat whiskey and the other a flavored rye whiskey. Thoughts follow. Journeyman Corsets, Whips & Whiskey – A single distillation of 100% organic Michigan wheat bottled at cask…
In 2019, one of our favorite vodka producers, Infuse Spirits, branched into whiskey. The results were, well, not the best, and eventually the line was scrapped and rebranded, with no mention of Infuse on the label at all. Recently, a revamped Broken Barrel re-emerged on the scene and, given our rather tough assessment of its…
Ever since Greg Metze joined Old Elk as master distiller at their launch, the NDP (non-distiller producer) has steadily released different twists on traditional whiskey formulations through the years, though still with undisclosed sourced distillate. Drinkhacker has stayed close with their latest releases, beginning with their first blended offering 2017 and checking back in with their…
New Liberty Distillery in Philadelphia, which launched in 2014, bottles a variety of spirits under numerous brand names, but arguably it is best known for the Kinsey brand of whiskey, which comprises bourbon, rye, and a few more limited-release oddities, like the whiskeys we’re tucking into today. Let’s give them a try. Bottles are individually numbered.…
The 15th round of Parker’s Heritage Collection is here, and for the second time it’s a wheat whiskey, which the series first did in 2014 as a 13 year old. This 2021 release is 11 years old, but it also draws on a trick used for the last two years of the Heritage Collection: heavy…
New Hampshire’s Tamworth Distilling specializes in uncommon oddities. We previously covered its Graverobber Rye, flavored with maple syrup drawn from trees grown adjacent to a graveyard. We missed out, however, on its corpse flower brandy as well as its whiskey flavored with beaver musk. A recent arrival at Drinkhacker HQ however was Tamworth’s Deerslayer (aka…
Longmont, Colorado is home to Dry Land Distillers, a true grain-to-glass craft operation “influenced and inspired by Colorado’s landscapes.” “With a focus on single grain 100% wheat whiskeys, prickly pear cactus spirits, native Colorado gin and pure cane sugar rum, Dry Land spirits represent the authentic flavors of the American West,” per the company. Today…