Wyoming Whiskey Double Cask

This special edition, twice-matured release from Wyoming Whiskey brings my count of U.S. state whiskies to 4. It uses a cask pairing common in Scotch (replacing virgin oak for ex-bourbon here) but uncommon for bourbon. It's also a wheater. The only other thing I can liken this to is Legent from Jim Beam, and even that is considerably different, even just on paper. Regardless, I predict this one will stand out for numerous reasons. Let's see. Smell: Cherry, brown sugar, wintergreen, cinnamon, and significant oak immediately. The sherry cask is obvious, with grape jelly, raisin, fig, and cranberry emerging from the glass. A little leather. Concord grape. It's as bitter as it is sweet. Caramel and cola complete this. Some barrel char too. This has improved nicely as the bottle has been open for a couple months. The distiller's notes are quite accurate here. It has a Cognac quality. Taste: Cherry, brown sugar, vanilla, caramel provide typical bourbon notes. However, similar to the smell, the taste has a strong sherry influence. Jelly, raisin, fig, and date hit hard in the next flavor wave. It's leathery, syrupy, and tart. Cranberry, goji berry, almond, and flax seed make this reminiscent of trail mix. Molasses and grape. Orange peel and barrel char add bitterness and smoke. Leather. Sweet but dry red fruit, and cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove provide major spice. Many layers, much to appreciate. Finish: Oak, leather, orange peel, brown sugar, and caramel transition into baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. Wintergreen. Toasted almond. It's a medium-length finish that echoes some of the prominent aspects of the smell and taste. A good whiskey that has become excellent with time. Wyoming Whiskey made a wise choice with this one. The distinct combination of sherry casks, a wheated mash bill, and whatever the Wyoming climate contributes make this respectably proofed whiskey a standout. 4.5, value for money considered. It cost me $50, and I would gladly spend $50 again in the future. Since purchasing this, I've added a High West bottle, bringing the total to 5. 10% of the way there... I will likely add a couple more bottles from Wyoming Whiskey before I even come close to reaching 50 states. This one tends to score higher than the others made by Wyoming Whiskey, so it might be an outlier. But after trying this one, I'm open-minded. Buy it if you see it. Here's to a very fine effort from Wyoming. Minor updates added 5 years and 9 days later. A couple notes added, none removed. Still at 4.5. One of the best value whiskies available.

An enticing russet muscat colored whiskey that is very potent on the nose for those of us not accustomed to sawmills and wood shops. There's a powerful blast across the nose of bitter charred wood, leather, dried nuts, and polish. However, after a few weeks open, the bitter wood and leather aromas blend with the softer, sweeter, fruitier flavors evident on the palate from the start. There are rich caramel, vanilla, and toffee sweetness, along with dried almond, citrus peel, and blueberry aromas rising to mingle with the more astringent saddle bag and barn door smells that feel natural to this bottle. A strong belief in balance and an ambition for a truly terroir-driven whiskey becomes apparent. On the palate, sweet and bitter dance together with dark bread and cacao flavors swirling in cascades of honeyed malt and rich caramel. Then the sherry finish erupts in a rush of chewy mission figs, Turkish figs, raisins, and dates that flow downstream into the curls and eddies whispering of dark fruits, red fruits, dried citrus, maple, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, chocolate, and distant adventures.

Color: A deep, "rusty" amber hue. Nose: Delightfully sweet with notes of molasses, a whisper of alcohol, and the pleasant aroma of aged paper from an old book. Palate: (Sampled first neat, then with an ice cube. A subsequent tasting involved a large ice ball.) A gentle sweetness is present, accompanied by hints of char and smoke – quite enjoyable. I detect additional complexities, which I'll attribute to the sherry cask influence. A mild warmth spreads through the chest. As the ice melts, the spirit evolves, unleashing a vibrant burst of cinnamon. A spicy tingle lingers on the palate. Finish: Moderately long, featuring the persistent spice from the back end and a woody character. Occasionally, a pour leaves me wanting more. However, this one strikes me as particularly engaging. I'm not usually drawn to spirits with "Finished in _____ Casks" on the label. Nevertheless, I believe this offering justifies its price point of around $50-$60. Getting to experience it without cost, as my last complimentary item from Flaviar, certainly enhanced the enjoyment. An amusing observation: I often seek my wife's opinion on the aroma (she abstains from drinking spirits), so I had her smell my glass. Her impression was, "nail polish remover" – an assessment that a knowledgeable reviewer also shared in their commentary.

Wyoming Whiskey is absolutely my favorite go-to bourbon. It’s an easy drinking, everyday spirit but still robust enough with nice sweetness, black tea, herbaceousness, vanilla, caramel and spices. The barrel char notes are clean and superb with the slightest bitterness rounding out the profile. So very smooth! This Double Cask, 100 proof version is just on another level of pure splendor. It’s not only more of everything but fantastically fruity, a touch more sweet and surprisingly even smoother than the standard 88 proof version. The sherry finish shines through and adds a ton of depth but isn’t for every whiskey drinker. I tend to love sherry finished whiskey and this is my favorite... by far! First bottle I bought was $55 and now the price has climbed to $62 because of the growing scarcity. This is one of those whiskeys that you sip and you sip and you sip some more, with good friends or by yourself. It doesn’t matter..,it’s just damn delicious.

Appearance: Rich amber, thicker, clings nicely to glass. Smell: Brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla. Sweet and fuller body. Taste: Brown sugar and a bit of molasses at the forefront give way to caramel oak, and a bit of spice. Excellent mouth feel. Wonderful neat. Needs no water or ice. Finish: Smooth with pleasant burn lingering on the tongue. The caramel and vanilla are true throughout and then gives way to brown sugar and spice. Super dessert bourbon!

Aroma: I'm not particularly fond of the aroma. It has a soapy scent with apple and vanilla. Palate: It drinks much better than its aroma suggests. It has a truly unique palate, with distinct cherry vanilla, green apple, and a sweet, semi-lingering finish. I was quite excited to try this because nancy fraley was involved, and she creates excellent finishes. I really enjoy it; the aroma is the only downside for me, but it makes wyoming distinctive.