Northbound Wheat Whiskey

I'd forgotten I'd picked up a small sample of this while visiting the distillery, but I'm pleased I did. I generally dislike wheat distillates, but hadn't tried a whiskey with a high wheat mash percentage to solidify my opinion. I'm aware this distillery is meticulous with its spirits. This offering lacks an age statement, and its color suggests a youthful product, yet a mash bill of 95% wheat should really highlight the grain's character. As a side note, I found an existing entry for this spirit, but it had at least three errors. I found it simpler to create a new, accurate entry than to await corrections. The color is golden with amber edges. Given that the distillery's rye and bourbon expressions are much darker, I suspect this was aged in a second or third-fill barrel for a limited time, insufficient to develop deep color. The aroma is malty, reminiscent of single malt whiskey, but it does possess some vanilla and caramel sweetness from the barrel. A faint cereal note, similar to Mini Wheats, is present, with an even subtler hint of tropical fruit and banana underneath. The ethanol is somewhat stronger than anticipated for a 90 proof spirit. The body is fairly light, transitioning after a few moments to the expected mild, young wheat/malt taste. Just as I thought the flavor would remain consistent through the finish, a spiced, slightly fuller body emerges, creating a hot, rye-like sensation on the tongue and the front of the gums. With such a high wheat content and no rye in the mash, I'm surprised by the intense and deep burn, which feels much stronger than its proof, easily tasting like 110 proof or more. Despite this heat, it complements another sip well, as each subsequent taste seems to refresh the palate. After a few minutes, a very subtle whisper of banana and clove, like a Hefeweizen, emerges in the deep finish. This was truly unexpected for a wheat whiskey, leading me to question if it accurately represents wheat whiskeys with high wheat mash percentages overall. Both the aroma and taste exhibit strong similarities to malt/barley and rye grains. With wheat being the predominant ingredient, it's surprising that the softer, creamy, sweet notes typically associated with this grain are actually the least prominent. I'm uncertain how this would perform in cocktails, so I won't purchase a full bottle. At least, not until I've sampled more wheat whiskeys with high wheat mash percentages, which are generally quite scarce, especially in small 50ml formats or at bars where sampling is more affordable.