Lone Elm Single Barrel Texas Straight Wheat Whiskey

This is my first time trying a wheat whiskey. I also prefer wheat vodka. There are not many wheat whiskeys available, and I think this is because wheat provides so little flavor. I anticipate this one's score will depend on the quality of the barrel aging and how much the absence of grain flavor is felt, but let's find out. Appearance: This has a very dark color. I'm guessing it was aged for a good while in new barrels with significant heat. Nose: Intense, woody, and somewhat savory with a hint of meaty barbecue char. This meatiness makes me concerned about its age. I detect a slight sourness, almost like vomit. There's a rich mahogany presence, but the sourness unfortunately overpowers it. Hints of American chocolate are present, but overwhelmed by an excessive, comical amount of that distinct sour flavor – the sour vomit taste. Oh dear, I suspect a significant amount of butyric acid is present. The rest of the aroma is pleasant, but that awful sour scent is very prominent. Palate: Intense and woody, featuring nice polished wood prominently. The sour flavor is not too strong initially but becomes quite tannic. Many spices are present, adding nice complexity. Chocolate emerges, starting dark, then taking on the butyric acid flavor. This palate is nearly pleasant and decadent, but the sour flavor is unpleasant, and all I can taste is wood. Still, it handles shades of wood quite well, apart from that single flavor. Finish: Bitter, tannic, and somewhat spiced. Not much is happening here. Occasional chocolate with hints of butyric acid, though it's uncertain if this is from the whiskey or a consequence of its single off-putting flavor. - Conclusion - Comparing it to other spirits makes me think the vomit flavor might have been a temporary palate effect. My Balcones True Blue Cask Strength (19/23) is less woody but richer than this. It's funkier but not nearly as sour. On the other hand, Garrison Brothers 2021 (17/23) has more minerality and is quite sour. It might not taste exactly like vomit, but it's fairly close. These two are difficult to compare. Garrison Brothers Cowboy 2020 (22/23) has more minerality, but this is bolder and definitely woodier. The Garrison Brothers has more depth, but this is a more substantial, decadent drink. The key issue here is the severity of the vomit flavor for this dram. Without it, this isn't the most complex spirit, but it effectively showcases its decadent, woody character. Revisiting this a couple of days later, I initially detected no butyric acid, but then a wave of it hit. It subsided, but that flavor persisted for a long time. It's not as bad as I initially thought, but that and the limited complexity are significant drawbacks for an otherwise bold, woody, decadent, sweet dram. It still has a sour American chocolate taste, but it no longer tastes like vomit. I'm actually quite enjoying it now. I'm realizing that while the bold flavor is prominent, so is the alcohol. Europeans with refined chocolate tastes might prefer to skip this, but I'm fine with American chocolate, so I appreciate the richness here. I'm considering a 19 or 20, or maybe an 18. I'm not enjoying the sour flavor on the lingering finish. I'll give it a 19. I'd be interested in trying another barrel to see if I can find one without so much butyric acid. Aside from that, this is quite enjoyable. Previously, I was going to rate it a 15, which is the lowest I'd consider. Thank you for this interesting sample!

The aroma begins with a blend of rich maple syrup, figs, and sweet pipe tobacco, followed by chocolate-covered espresso beans, then sautéed cinnamon apples, morello cherry jam, and orange blossom, transitioning to black tea and charred whole wheat toast with a strong ethanol burn. The taste has a medium body, starting with maple syrup, figs, and flapjacks, then sweet pipe tobacco smoke and spicy mocha, followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, morello cherry jam, and orange blossom, shifting to toasted almonds, polished leather, light sawdust, and mildly bitter black tea with a potent ethanol burn. The finish is long with chocolate-covered espresso beans, toasted almonds, charred marshmallow, polished leather, mildly bitter black tea, and light sawdust. This is an exceptional spirit that captivates with its syrupy, rich nose, balancing fruits, coffee, and tobacco with a subtle Texas funk that carries through to the palate, complemented by toasted nuts, leather, and slightly tannic oak. It finishes long with sweet and earthy notes, leaning slightly tannic but not overwhelmingly so. I'm a big admirer of Texas whiskey, and this one truly delivered bold flavors with near-perfect balance. At approximately $50, I'd recommend purchasing a case rather than a single bottle, as it can easily outperform much of the overhyped or celebrity-endorsed spirits priced two to three times higher. Thanks for the generous sample!

My single barrel was aged for 4-5 years and bottled at 125.2 proof. For a Texas whiskey, that's quite mature. It's a burst of flavor featuring cherries, cocoa, leather, vanilla, and oak. The aroma evokes cherry jam, chocolate, and a breakfast cereal. The taste includes ripe black cherries, vanilla extract, wheat bread, and oak with some black tea astringency. I don't detect the meaty, Texas 'funk' often found in spirits from Balcones and Garrison. The finish is surprisingly sweet with more cherry notes. Subsequently, I diluted this with 10 drops of water, and it became truly fascinating. It softened the cherry and drying oak characteristics while introducing lighter, maltier notes like honey, orange zest, and stone fruits. To be honest, I enjoyed this whiskey most with a bit of water. Edit: This makes an exceptional old fashioned. Using maple syrup as the sweetener resulted in a delicious drink. In truth, some of the most impressive Texas whiskeys I've encountered haven't been bourbons. Balcones excels with malt (Lineage, Mirador), Ironroot's top selections are their corn whiskeys (Icarus, Hubris), and Herman Marshall's finest is their Saint Arnold Divine, a single malt based on a beer. These spirits, and now Lone Elm, are what I would recommend to someone seeking interesting Texas whiskeys.

I had always been curious to sample this, having heard good things about it from people here. Unfortunately, it's not widely distributed yet. But, thanks to a kind sample from a friend, I got to try it. Texas whiskey stands in a class of its own. It's bold, robust, loud, and makes its presence known. There's nothing subtle about it. If you consider other Texans, like Balcones and Garrison, they are similar—very strong, making it clear it grew up in the Texan heat. This is no exception. In fact, Garrison Small Batch probably wishes it were more like this. For approximately the same cost, I would pick this over Garrison Small Batch any day. What I appreciate about these producers is their commitment to grain-to-glass. Made with Texas red wheat and Texas rainwater. The aroma is sawdust and molasses. Dark cherries. The palate has oak, thick vanilla, and molasses. It's young, but the Texas climate makes it mature faster than its age suggests. If you enjoy Balcones and Garrison, check if it's available in your area. It's an obvious purchase at its price range of $45-60. Thanks again to a friend for the taste!

Another successful find from Texas. This particular single barrel registers at 60.8% ABV. The nose presents vanilla, sweet cinnamon roll, cherry, grape candy, aged oak, and a touch of regional character. The palate is creamy, milk chocolate, dark cherry, grape soda. Hints of bourbon-like vanilla and caramel emerge. There's some drying oak on the finish. It's unconventional but enjoyable. I'll need to compare it to some of my preferred Texas spirits, but I'm confident it merits a place among the top Texas whiskies. It's good; I anticipate wanting a replacement when it's gone. Update: Elevated the score after a side-by-side comparison with Larceny BP C921. This offers more fruit, especially grape soda, compared to the Larceny, but has slightly more tannin. The Larceny has a more pronounced peanut character. I actually find I prefer this to the Larceny. It also surpasses Weller 107.

Aroma – some pleasant oak followed by a powerful cherry presence, akin to Buffalo Trace but intensifying to the level of cough syrup. An unusual, muted oak blanket seems to dampen the aroma. It's peculiar. Oh, and there's a hint of fresh-cut grass. Taste – It resembles port, spearmint, and oak, evoking memories of that delicious grape cough medicine from childhood. What is going on here. The finish is oaky, but neither agreeably nor disagreeably so. Hints of leather and a touch of funk are present. I'm describing a very unusual whiskey, but it's quite intriguing. It possesses many bourbon characteristics and lacks any 'Texas funk.' I'd be content with this at $60-70; without knowing the price, I'd say under $100 it wouldn't be a bad purchase. If I were buying two bottles, I might lean towards $50. Score 2.25. This is better than average, unique, but not an outstanding bottle.